A military parade dedicated to the 73 rd anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War took place on the central square of Tskhinval.
The Victory Parade was taken by the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Republic, President Anatoly Bibilov.
Representatives of the Republic's leadership, veterans, the RF Extraordinary Ambassador to the RSO Marat Kulakhmetov and other officials watched the ceremonial parade of servicemen.
Anatoly Bibilov congratulated the residents of the Republic on the holiday, noting that South Ossetia could be proud of the contribution made by the Ossetian people to the common victory.
"Our soldiers took part in the Battle of Stalingrad and in the battles of Kursk, fought in partisan detachments, smashed the enemy at sea and in air battles, liberated Kiev, Budapest, Vienna, took Koenigsberg and Berlin. Eight of them were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union, " - the President said.
He has noted that South Ossetia suffered huge irreparable losses. "Over 18,000 people have not returned from the front, about 80% of the able-bodied male population! This is more than some European countries with a population of several million people lost in the war, "- said Bibilov.
According to the President, the Great Patriotic War veterans. who won a peaceful life for their country could not imagine that they would ever again see the fire of war in their native land.
"They could not believe that after a few decades, the grandsons of their Georgian brother-soldiers with whom they shared the front-line hardships and the joy of victory, would come to our land with weapons," the head of state said. "For many veterans, the bitterness and pain of this betrayal and treachery proved to be as deadly as the enemy bullets."
Bibilov has noted that lasting peace in the Republic is reliably guaranteed by the creation of a common space for defense and security of South Ossetia and Russia.
"It is profoundly symbolic that the marching formations of the Republic of South Ossetia, the contingent of Russian troops in our Republic, the soldiers of the Donetsk People's Republic are now in a unified order. The potential aggressors should clearly understand that they will receive a response to any encroachment on the borders and territorial integrity of South Ossetia, " - the President said.
In the military parade in honor of the 73 rd anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, took part marching formations of the ministries of defense and internal affairs, the border guard service of the State Security Committee, the Ministry of Emergency Situations, the 4th Guards Russian military base, women military servicemen of the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Internal Affairs, cadets of the cadet school. Cadets of the Donetsk Higher Combined Arms Command School took part in the military parade of the Republic for the first time.
The marching formations were followed by a mechanised column, followed by the procession of the Immortal Regiment.
