According to the Republican Council of Veterans of War and Home Front, only 345 Tajik veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 are estimated to be still alive. Over the past year, their number has decreased by 98 people.
Today, the number of World War II veterans living in Khatlon is 136 people, in Sughd – 102 people, in districts subordinate to the center (RRP) – 66 people, in Dushanbe – 46 people, and in the Gorno Badakhshan Autonomous Region (GBAO) – only 4 people.
The oldest of the Tajik veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 was Dodarjon Umarov, who lived in Khatlon’s Vakhsh district. He died at the end of last year aged 117.
Some 300,000 residents of Tajikistan took part in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and some 100,000 of them died in battle.
54 of residents of Tajikistan were given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Besides, 15 other Tajikistan’s residents were Full Holders of the Order of Glory.
Victory Day marks the end of World War II in Europe, specifically the capitulation of Nazi forces to the Allies (the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France, the United States and other principal Allied nations) on May 8, 1945.
In Russia and other countries of former Soviet Union, the day of Victory over Nazi Germany was celebrated on May 9, because when the German Instrument of Surrender actually entered into force (May 8, 1945 at 23:01 CET), it was already May 9 by Moscow time. Post-Soviet countries have continued the tradition.
