June 22 Is Day of Remembrance and Mourning

On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War (1941–1945) began. On that day, in the early hours of the morning, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union without a declaration of war.

The official state calendar of commemorative dates lists this day as the Day of Remembrance and Mourning.

St Petersburg, where the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly is headquartered, traditionally holds memorial ceremonies of laying wreaths and flowers at war memorials. Commemorative events are held in cultural institutions, parks and streets of the Northern Capital.

Staff members of the Secretariat of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly attended the laying of wreaths and flowers at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery.

“This day still echoes with sorrow and indignation in our hearts and remains the hardest page of our history. The Great Patriotic War affected every family. More than 27 million people perished. Thanks to the heroism of our soldiers and officers, the enemy was defeated; but the victory was achieved at a high cost,” said Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly and Chairman of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, in his Telegram channel.

A minute of silence will be observed throughout Russia today. It will begin simultaneously in all regions at 12:15 Moscow time.