Russians celebrate armistice of World War II

First published May 28, 2003

Alongside 300 soldiers from the Russian Military Contingent (RMC),guests from various institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina attended the 58th anniversary of the Allies victory ceremony in Ugljevik. The main attraction of the morning: a show by the Special Forces. The 'Spetnatz' train hard daily to face any situation. This display of hand-to-hand combat and neutralisation of an enemy proved it.
On May 9, Russian soldiers attended the ceremony in remembrance of the end of World War II. But they also came to watch the show. The morning's demonstration has been in preparation for more than one week.
There are no families in Russia who did not lose someone in that war. There is a word in Russian that says that it is much easier to destroy than to restore. That is the reason the RMC came to BiH: to help rebuild the country and bring it back to 'normal' life.
While the regimental band played the Russian national anthem, three soldiers crossed the Parade Square in front of the troops that stood at attention. Their they placed the traditional spray of flowers on a monument dedicated to those who died during WWII. The Russians call it "the Great Patriotic war." Thus the ceremony ended. All the soldiers, awarded or not, felt the same strong emotion.

Related link:
Nations of SFOR: Russia