A memorial dedicated to the 71st anniversary of the Elbe Day – the day the US and Soviet troops met near the city of Torgau on the Elbe River this day 71 years ago – was opened in Moscow in a small park near 11, Sivtsev Vrazhek lane.
The same memorial with the support of the Washington’s city administration was installed in the US capital on the Russian Plaza square. The author of the memorial is People's artist of Russia A.N. Burganov.
The ceremony, initiated by the World Coordination Council of Russian Compatriots, American University in Moscow and Club of military commanders of Russia, gathered representatives of Russian authorities, Moscow Government, Russian and the US veterans, defense attachés of the US and other Embassies, representatives of NGOs, including the Russkiy Mir Foundation.
Air force Major general Alexey Leonov, famous Russian cosmonaut and two times Hero of the Soviet Union, who participated in the “Elbe Day” in space about 30 years ago during the coupling of Soyuz and Apollo spacecrafts, and Bruce MacClinton, defense attaché of the US Embassy in Moscow, were entitled to open the memorial.
“Despite the tensions between Russia and the US caused by the deeds of politicians, we shall not forget about the mutual support of allies during the hard years of the Great Patriotic War,” – said Leonov in his speech. “This memorial is a symbol for great relations of two great nations.”
“The US and Russia bent every effort in order to fight their enemy, and they managed to succeed,” – underlined Kevin Ryan, former defense attaché of the US Embassy in Russia and founder of the group of the Second World War veterans named “Elbe”. “The Americans and the Russians have to create new bridges of mutual understanding and trust, the bridges that were damaged in the past years."
During the ceremony, the guests were shown recreations of scenes of the famous meeting of the troops on the Elbe River.
