A memorial event was held in Rostov-on-Don on the 85th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War. The event took place at the main church of the Southern Military District.
Before the ceremony began, the Southern Military District orchestra played the song 'From the Heroes of the Past,' and a symbolic 'Eternal Memory Lamp' was presented to the church's head priest. This lamp, a symbol of historical memory, was brought from the 'Hero Brest Fortress' memorial complex.
After the memorial prayer, volunteers from the Rostov regional patriotic public movement 'Glorious Paths - Our History' used thousands of LED candles in the square to form the phrase 'We Remember the Heroes.'
Speech at the Event
The event's host said in a speech, "Eighty-five years ago, on June 22, 1941, the world was engulfed in the flames of the bloodiest war in human history. A treacherous attack fell upon our lands, but the Soviet people rose to defend their homeland. Today's event is a modest contribution to preserving the memory of those terrible events and of those who gave their lives for our peaceful sky."
A minute of silence was observed in memory of those who lost their lives on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. This was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the 'Saint George the Victor-Bearer' monument.