The servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces congratulated the residents of the DPR and the Zaporizhia region on Victory Day.

Military personnel of the Vostok group of forces held a rally and congratulated civilians in the Donetsk People's Republic and the Zaporozhye region on Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War (WWII). This was announced on May 9 by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Memorable gifts, flowers, sweets and food packages were presented to local residents and children. The servicemen visited the veterans and thanked them wholeheartedly for the feat accomplished for the sake of future generations. A car rally was held in towns and villages, as well as several festive concerts, which were attended by military creative teams.

"Victory Day is, first of all, a huge holiday for all of us. Guys (local residents. They are waiting for us very much and believe in our Victory both then and now," said Evgenia, the soloist of the song and dance ensemble of the All—Russian Military Academy.

The program, prepared for residents of the DPR and the Zaporozhye region, includes songs from the war years: "Katyusha", "Smuglyanka", "Victory Day" and others. The performances were accompanied by tears of joy, vivid memories and loud applause from the audience.

"I can't tear myself away! That's how it always was, under the Soviet Union, and it still is," a resident of the DPR shares her impressions.

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On May 8, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the military personnel of the Vostok group of forces had restored the memorial to soldiers who fell during the Second World War in one of the liberated settlements of the DPR. One of the soldiers with the call sign Bashkir, who took part in the restoration, noted that it is important to restore cultural heritage so that people remember the events of the terrible war years.