The Israeli Embassy in Moscow honored Red Army veterans who served in World War II by offering them food parcels and a special letter of thanks for their heroism in defeating the Nazis.
“To you, who fought bravely to ensure a peaceful heaven will be above all of us,” the letter said. The embassy usually hosts a festive event to honor Israel’s Independence Day, but this year, due to the coronavirus pandemic, it decided to honor veterans instead.
In Russia, Victory Day is marked on May 9. This year the world marks 75 years since the end of World War II.
The food parcels were delivered by volunteers for a local NGO, all of whom practiced social distancing from the elderly men and women to ensure their safety and health.
The Red Army and the Russian nation suffered terrible losses during the war. The official figure for both army losses and civilian lives lost was 20 million, but today the figure is thought to be 27 million.
It was the Red Army that liberated Auschwitz, Belzec, Sobibor, and Treblinka, all part of the Nazi plan to annihilate the Jews of Europe.