"Dear Veterans, Dear Dmitry Anatolyevych and Alexander Grigoryevich!
We are on the eve of celebrating a sacred holiday for us all, for the peoples that fought in the Great Patriotic War – the Victory Day. All week long in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine celebrations will be held. We know what a stress it will be for veterans. Because seeing such love and consideration is not easy too. But please, hold on.
Each year, celebrating this holiday – the Victory Day – we remember the years of Great Patriotic War, remember your feat. The chronicles of difficult years of war will always be in our nations’ history. It will always be in the hearts and minds of our people.
Nowadays, more and more young people and children come to memorials, monuments, graves of those fallen, and participate in the celebration. Yet less and less veterans do we see …
The more time passes since hard war times, the more we appreciate your feat. The peace you brought to our land is priceless. And freedom is priceless too. You not only saved our country from slavery. You saved the world from the brown plague, from fascism.
These days, we remember all Great Patriotic War participants and members of the anti-fascist coalition. All those, who won victory in the year 1945. Of course, we must do everything so that everybody, who lives in current times of peace, felt the support and attention of current generations. Today we, our generation are responsible for the situation in our countries. And we will do everything to ensure that our veterans felt our attention and respect not only in the days of celebrating the Great Victory. Through all your life we will respect you and surround you with care.
Today, representatives of Ukraine and Belarus are here, in Moscow. I know how anxiously our veterans have been preparing for this day. Because indeed, for them, it is the highest honor – to participate in celebration of the Great Victory in the capital of a great country – the Soviet Union, which defeated fascism. And today, when we look at you, when we sometimes experience difficult, we take the example of you. With your persistence, your courage, your determination and commitment to your native land, Motherland.
We have not been in the trenches. It were you, who defended peace, and we must do everything for you to feel happy. We really want this.
On the eve of celebration of the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War new monuments and memorials dedicated to the Great Victory are being opened in Ukraine. These days we have opened a monument on the border of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus. I think there will be time, when I invite my colleagues, and of course, representatives of the public, veterans' organizations for us to worship the Liberator-Nation.
Tomorrow, in Kiev, we will open the monument to great pilot, whose only name inspired fear in fascists – Ivan Kozhedub. Also, tomorrow, in all the hero-cities of Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, military parades in honor of the Victory will be held. And today, on the eve of this holiday, I would like, dear veterans, to wish that you, first of all, were happy with life, happy with your children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and that in your life you were convinced that we would never fail.
We will do everything so that younger generations were passing one another the glory of feats you made in the Great Patriotic War.
I hail you and bow before you! And I thank you for your great feat!"
