Russian Defense Ministry releases archive documents for the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Budapest

On February 13, the Russian Defense Ministry published declassified documents from the funds of the Central Archive of the Military Ministry on the course of the Budapest strategic offensive operation to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Hungarian capital from Nazi invaders.

Historical and educational multimedia project of the Ministry of Defense "Fiery Assault on Budapest" is aimed at preserving the historical memory of the Red Army's feat, the ministry said.

The Budapest strategic offensive operation became one of the key battles of the final stage of the Great Patriotic War. The operation lasted 108 days and was notable for its exceptional complexity: the troops of the Second and Third Ukrainian Fronts overcame fierce enemy resistance, fortified defenses and difficult terrain.

After the encirclement of Budapest at the end of December 1944, bloody street battles began. Hitler's command, having declared the city a "fortress", ordered to "fight to the last soldier". Despite this, on February 13, 1945, the capital of Hungary was completely liberated, and tens of thousands of civilians were saved from the terror of the Nazis.

The victory at Budapest accelerated the collapse of the fascist regime in Europe and brought the end of World War II closer.

Talking about the main things: how the Yalta Conference was held

80 years ago, the foundations of the post-war world were laid

Earlier, on February 11, employees of the FSB Department in Crimea released documents on the work of state security agencies to the 80th anniversary of the Yalta Conference, held in February 1945.

Before that, on February 9, the scientific director of the Russian State Archive of Social and Political History Andrei Sorokin said that the archive holds an album, which was prepared for Joseph Stalin on the results of the Yalta Conference by the photo correspondent of Izvestia Samariy Gurarii.