The victory of the Allied Forces over Germany saved the world from the clutches of Fascist forces, former minister Binoy Viswam said.
He was speaking after inaugurating the 69th Victory Day celebrations organised by the Russian Cultural Centre in the city.
May 9 marks the surrender of Nazi Germany to Soviet forces and today, Russia celebrates it as ‘Victory Day.’
In Russia, the war is known as the ‘Great Patriotic War’ and ‘Victory Day’ continues to be one of the important celebrations.
“The victory saved the world from a situation where the history of the world itself would have been written and maps redrawn.
It also paved the way for the Indian Independence,’’ Binoy Viswam said. Russia contributed to Germany’s defeat by sacrificing lakhs of lives, he said.
The Russian Cultural Centre will organise screenings of films with World War II as the backdrop and exhibitions of photographs to mark the occasion, Russia’s Consul in Thiruvananthapuram Ratheesh C Nair said. Mangad Ratnakaran and M S Jayakumar also spoke.