Tribute Paid at Soviet War Memorial in London

London — June 22 was marked as the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow in Russia. On this day 85 years ago, Nazi Germany and its allies launched an attack on the Soviet Union. The attack marked the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, one of the most painful chapters in Russian and former Soviet history.

Around 27 million Soviet citizens lost their lives in the war, while millions more were wounded, displaced, bereaved, and deeply affected by its devastation.

On the occasion, Vasily Tsyganov, Minister-Counsellor of the Russian Embassy in London, laid flowers at the Soviet War Memorial in Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park.

Unveiled in 1999, the memorial stands as a symbol of British respect for the heroism, sacrifice, and selflessness of Soviet citizens and soldiers who lost their lives during the Second World War in the struggle against Nazism.

The Russian Embassy said the monument serves as a reminder of the price of victory and the lasting importance of preserving historical memory.

Russia observes June 22 as a day to remember the Nazi invasion, the immense human losses of the war, and the sacrifice of the Soviet people in the fight against fascism.