Israeli President praises Soviet Red Army's heroism and achievements in WWII
On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, Israeli President Isaac Herzog noted the heroism and achievements of the Red Army in the Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
"My late father often spoke of his meetings with soldiers of various armies, especially the Red Army, many of whom, by the way, were Jews. And, of course, with many soldiers of the Allied forces. He met all of them on German soil," Herzog said in a video message to guests at a gala reception organized by the Russian Embassy to mark the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.
"He always returned to the Truth - the Allied victory over Nazism was based solely on the bravery, courage and determination of those who came to fight it. It was based on the courage of the people. That is why I am very proud that their stories, and especially the story of the heroism of the Red Army, its outstanding achievements in the Great War, are immortalized in the Museum of the Jewish Warrior of World War II in Latrun, which bears the name of my late father," Herzog said.
Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov, addressing the guests of the reception, emphasized that Russia remembers well the price that “our peoples” paid.
"These are 27 million dead Soviet people and 6 million Jews, half of whom were also Soviet citizens. Eternal memory to them!
“It is obvious to us that we need to jointly counter the revival of Nazism, the spread of destructive extremist ideologies, any forms of anti-Semitism, racism and national exclusivity, behind which lie claims to hegemony and global dominance,” Viktorov said.