Photo credit: mos.ru
The anniversary of the liberation of Warsaw was celebrated in Moscow with numerous fireworks, TASS reports. About three thousand fireworks were launched on Poklonnaya Hill. Soldiers of the Artillery Marshal Vladimir Mikhalkin separate guard salute division launched fifty types of fireworks into the sky.
Warsaw was liberated on January 17, 1945 during the Warsaw-Poznan operation. It began on the morning of January 14 by the forces of the Belarusian Front. On the first day, the liberators advanced twelve kilometers, and a day later, on January 15, they reached the Pilitsa River and liberated Radom. The next day, Polish soldiers joined the Soviet army, and crossed the Vistula river. The Germans realized that they could not keep Warsaw and began to withdraw their troops. On January 17, the capital was cleared of the invaders.
According to military historians, about two hundred thousand Red Army men died in battles in the Warsaw direction. In memory of them, the largest military cemetery was built in Warsaw, where about 21.5 thousand soldiers of the 1st Belorussian Front rest. In 1950, a 19.2 hectares memorial was erected there.
The Polish authorities do not consider this day a holiday. Memorable celebrations at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier were held by veteran organizations. They were joined by Russian, Belarusian, Armenian diplomats and representatives of the embassies of some other countries. All of them laid flowers and wreaths at the memorial located in the city center.
Russkiy Mir
