Press release, 09.05.2016

A memorial anti-fascist ceremony took place at the mass grave at Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery in Moscow under YABLOKO’s initiative. Thousands of Muscovites – soldiers and officers who died during the Second World War – were buried there. The activists and leaders of the party laid flowers at the Eternal Flame.

“Each family in our country went through this hard time, suffered great losses and appreciated peace, appreciated freedom like, possibly, no one else in the world. And today we express gratitude to all the people who served both at the front and at the rear and did everything possible to secure victory,” YABLOKO Chair Emilia Slabunova said. She expressed special gratitude to the defenders of Moscow, many of them were buried at Preobrazhenskoye Cemetery.

Chair of YABLOKO Federal Political Committee Grigory Yavlisnky said that one must not forget the price which the people of Russia had paid for the victory. “Our grandfathers, fathers, mothers gave 27 million lives so that we could be free. Our duty is to defend the country form any attacks, any threats and to protect freedom. Protect freedom, democracy, justice. It is our duty and we will do it,” Yavlisnky said.

YABLOKO has been holding this anti-war ceremony for 11 years, since 2005. Tone the eve of the Victory Day the leaders and activists of ABLOKO also laid a wreath and flowers at the Eternal Flame and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin walls. Anti-fascist actions also took place in other cities of Russia.