As a sign of respect for the great feat, Raul, Diaz-Canel and other members of the Presidium laid red roses. Author: Revolutionary Research

With the first rays of May 9, a great date in the history of mankind, General of the Army Raul Castro Ruz, leader of the Cuban Revolution, First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and President of the Republic, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez led a political action and a military ceremony on the occasion of the celebration of the 78th anniversary victory over fascism.

Notes Anthem of Bayamoperformed by the musical group of the General Staff, marked the beginning of the tribute that took place at the Mausoleum of the Soviet soldier-internationalist, a place located on the outskirts of the capital, where the remains of a group of combatants from the old Soviet republics who died in our country while carrying out a mission are buried.

Six flower offerings on behalf of the Cuban Institute for Friendship with the Peoples, the Russian Federation, the Republics of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, and the people of Cuba were laid in front of the eternal flame in honor of the deceased, the portico of the day, which was also attended by members of the Politburo Roberto Morales Ojeda, secretary of the Organization of the Central Committee parties; General of the Army Corps Alvaro López Miera, Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces; General of Division Lazaro Alberto Alvarez Casas, Minister of the Interior; and Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla.

Also present were other chief leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior, leaders of the party and government, ambassadors, and a representative office of the Military Diplomatic Corps accredited to Cuba.

About the indelible traces of the bloodiest war in the history of mankind, which ended almost eight decades ago, about the extremely high price paid by the post-Soviet Union for the victory, which amounted to more than 27 million lives brought to the battlefields, Viktor Koronelli, Ambassador of the Russian Federation to the Greater Antilles, spoke about the destruction of cities, villages and towns and about incalculable damage to industry and agriculture.

Despite such devastation, the Russian diplomat recalled, the Red Army was able to defeat the German war machine and thereby liberate Europe from the fascist plague. Unfortunately, he added, “not everyone learned the lessons of that war, and today neo-Nazism is again raising its head in different countries of the world.”

We see how the monuments to the warriors of the epic are destroyed and the symbols of the great victory are forbidden; For this reason, Coronelli confirmed, “we highly appreciate the contribution of the Republic of Cuba to the fight against the glorification of fascism.”

Further, Roberto Morales Ojeda also recalled the courage of the peoples that were part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), whose unity and heroism allowed them to contain and then suppress the fascist military onslaught in World War II.

The leader of the partisans did not disregard the worthy contribution of Cuba to the victory over fascism. This is evidenced by the blood of 250 Cubans who fell in battle, as well as the names of the sons of this people who fought against the Nazi hordes in the USSR, North Africa, Normandy and other scenarios.

According to Morales Ojeda, the events we are celebrating today and the lessons they teach us have to do with the nature, goals and methods of imperialism and the harsh reality that its hegemonic claims did not disappear in 1945, but rather they encouraged and nurtured a new empire, this time closer and hostile: the Yankee empire.

But they also show, in his opinion, that a people minded to fight, with firm unity, courage and heroic spirit, with a revolutionary and patriotic tradition that it has the honor to defend, is capable of overcoming any aggression.

The victory over fascism, said a member of the Politburo, “saved the lives of millions of people, saved the thousand-year legacy of human culture, the sense of human dignity, and was the triumph of progressive humanity.”

Remembering these heroic events, it is necessary to continue the offensive to preserve world peace and condemn with all possible force everything that threatens it as the most important guarantor of the survival of mankind, he said.

“Let’s build a world in which friendship and solidarity between peoples reign,” his speech ended with such an appeal. “Under no circumstances will we allow fascist ideas to impose their plan on the future of mankind.”

After the review of the troops, Raul and Diaz-Canel, as well as other members of the presidium, laid red roses in front of the sculpture in memory of General of the Army Issa Alexandrovich Pliev, twice Hero of the Soviet Union in World War II, who assumed the responsibility of the head of the Group of Soviet Forces in Cuba in sad days October crisis of 1962.

To the eternal flame, guarded by flower offerings, the procession went later, in tribute. There were also red roses.

78 years have passed, – Morales Ojeda recalled in his speech, – since the images of a soldier fixing the Soviet flag on top of the Reichstag flew around the world. However, given the new threats that hang over humanity, it is imperative not to forget the Holocaust if people really do not want it to happen again.

Source: Juventud Rebelde