WWII veteran talks about Putin's tight embrace at Victory Day Parade

Evgeny Znamensky, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War (WWII), a native of Serpukhov, Moscow Region, spoke on May 21 about his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who hugged him tightly at the Victory Day Parade.

"He hugged [people] in front of me, shook hands, and came up to me, hugged me so tightly that even my cap flew off. Well, I caught her on the move. That was my meeting with Vladimir Vladimirovich," he shared in an interview with TASS.

At that moment, as the agency's interlocutor recalls, he was surrounded by front-line soldiers and war children. The event itself was already coming to an end after the ceremonial passage of military equipment.

Znamensky was born on August 13, 1925. Until his conscription into the Red Army in 1943, he took part in the defense of the capital. After his conscription, he fought on the Steppe, Don and 1st Belorussian fronts, was wounded twice, but reached Berlin, where he signed on the wall of the Reichstag. Last year, the veteran turned 100 years old.

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On May 9, before the start of the Victory Day Parade on Red Square, Putin talked with veterans. He personally greeted each of them. The Russian leader remained in constant contact with his guests, and received a letter from one of them, Kirill Semenov, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War.

Later, the author of the message talked to Izvestia and said that in the text he addressed Putin with words of appreciation for maintaining the country in good condition.