Belarus celebrates 77th anniversary of Victory Day

Minsk [Belarus], May 9 (ANI/Xinhua): Belarus hosted a series of commemorative events on Monday, dedicated to the 77th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front of World War II.
On the streets of the Belarusian capital Minsk, officials, veterans, students and other residents of the city marched in a column with flowers, balloons and photographs of their relatives who took part in the war and participated in the flower-laying ceremony at the Victory Monument.
The residents of Minsk also observed a minute of silence in front of the Victory Monument.
Speaking at the ceremony, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the victory in World War II preserved the Belarusian nation, and determined the path of development for all generations of Belarusians.
The fallen soldiers know that Belarus remembers the Victory Day and will always remember it, he said.
Lukashenko expressed his concern about the current NATO actions on the western border of Belarus, saying that he would closely monitor the situation. The situation of 1941 should not be allowed to repeat, he said.
Commenting on the situation in Ukraine, Lukashenko said Belarus would not be an aggressor, but as an ally and strategic partner of Russia, would make every effort to support Russia. At the same time, Belarus is making efforts for an early ceasefire in Ukraine, he added.
Speaking about anti-Belarusian sanctions, Lukashenko noted that the sanctions make the country stronger, while their negative impact on Western countries is hard to ignore.
Nazi Germany officially signed the act of unconditional surrender in a suburb of Berlin on the night of May 8, 1945, Berlin time, which was the early hours of May 9 Moscow time. The Soviet Union declared May 9 "Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War." Today, Victory Day is one of the most important holidays in Russia and Belarus. (ANI/Xinhua)