THOSE WHO LAID DOWN THEIR LIVES FOR FREEDOM AND LIBERATION OF BELGRADE MUST NEVER BE FORGOTTEN

BELGRADE, OCTOBER 20 /SRNA/ - A ceremonial academy was held at the National Theatre in Belgrade in the presence of Serbian and Russian officials to mark the Day of Liberation of the city during World War II. It was emphasized that those who laid down their lives for the freedom and liberation of Belgrade must never be forgotten.

The Speaker of the National Assembly of Serbia, Ana Brnabić, who spoke as the representative of the President of Serbia, has said that Serbia today understands more than ever the importance of peace and freedom and is aware of how much they rest on respecting its own past, learning from it, and embracing the values that it has taught us. "These values are to not bow to force, to lead your own policy and not someone else's, to be independent, free, and to advocate for peace," Brnabić said. She recalled the joint efforts of partisan, national liberation, and Red Army units, adding that the commemoration of October 20 - Day of the Liberation of Belgrade - is a tribute to all the nameless and known heroes who laid down their lives for the freedom, beauty, and greatness of Belgrade, which, thanks to their sacrifice, can today make giant strides into the future. "To free ourselves from tyranny was the task taken on, alongside the soldiers commanded by Peko Dapčević and Vladimir Ždanov, by numerous Belgraders - great, brave individuals willing to sacrifice for that most sacred goal - freedom," Brnabić said. She emphasized that we must never forget the more than three years of darkness during which the Nazis tormented Belgrade and its inhabitants, reducing Belgrade and its people to a slave camp. "We will not cease to remember its liberation, the sacrifices of the Red Army soldiers, and the members of the National Liberation Army, or that most sacred moment, which is the flag of freedom at the Albania Palace," Brnabić said. She recalled that the Red Army received unprecedented support in Yugoslavia, especially in Serbia, and that the partisans had the highest number of fallen fighters in World War II among all resistance movements. "To forget all this, to relativize or distort it, is a sin not only against the past but also a crime against a future that will not be possible without such foundations and truth, and it is unlikely to be bright. And there would be no Belgrade - a city decorated with the Order of People's Hero," Brnabić concluded. She emphasized that Serbia's greatest obligation today is to fight for sovereignty and independence, for freedom and the right to choose its own path, Belgrade media report. The Deputy Speaker of the Russian Duma, Pyotr Tolstoy, has said that it is an honor for him to be in Belgrade today, celebrating this anniversary. "Our nations fought a fierce struggle for the liberation of Europe; our countries are the only ones on the European continent that refused to submit to Bavarian fascism," Tolstoy said. He noted that today a different battle is being waged - one for the minds of people, aiming to completely change their perceptions of what happened in the past and how it really was. "Today, we are fighting for our children and future generations to live as they wish, and in this struggle against us, NATO member countries are participating. The victory will be ours," Tolstoy concluded.