PM to join world leaders to fete Russia

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will join some 60 heads of state, including US President George Bush, in Moscow on May 8-10 for the 60th anniversary celebrations of Russia's victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The event is being organised on a grand scale to commemorate the sacrifices of the Russian people during World War II.

Over 27 million Soviet citizens reportedly died during the war, of which nearly 20 million were civilians.

Singh will rub shoulders with world leaders including China's President Hu Jintao, France's Jacques Chirac, Germany's Chancellor Gerhard Shroeder and Italy's Silvio Berlusconi.

Manmohan Singh plans to hold some bilateral meetings, but nothing is fixed yet, said a foreign ministry spokesman. Singh's meeting with President Bush also seems unlikely.

United Nations chief Kofi Annan will also be present at Red Square in Moscow on Monday to witness the ceremonial parade.

By inviting world leaders, Russian President Vladimir Putin is using the event to demonstrate to Russians his growing stature in the global scenario.

According to reports, leaders of Lithuania and Estonia, both Baltic nations, may not join the celebrations because they claim that Russia occupied their countries after the end of war -- something that the Russians deny.

Former foreign secretary and Indian ambassador to Russia between 2001 to 2004, K Raghunath, told rediff.com, "This a very important event. India recognises the erstwhile Soviet Union's role in fighting fascism, the human cost it paid."

People across the world, especially Russians, have not forgotten the significance of Victory Day. Fighting ended on May 2, 1945 when the Germans surrendered, but officially the war ended at midnight on May 8, 1945.

Russians declared a national holiday on May 9 and called it Victory Day. They celebrate the day each year with pride, vigour, nostalgia and pomp.

This anniversary, Russians aim to remind the world about their contribution to the war against fascism.

Explaining the importance of the event, Raghunath said, "Russians have fought fascism. Today, Russia links the war they won with the current global war on terrorism. Russia wants to remind the world that there is an urgent need to tackle terrorism."

Raghunath has participated in May 9 celebrations when he served as Indian ambassador to Russia.

He said, "Russians have so many memories of the war. During the war, Nazis seized Leningrad (now Saint Petersburg) for 900 days. The siege of Leningrad is part of their collective memory. The Russians suffered badly during the period."

In Russia almost every family has some member who took part in the Patriotic War.

They are honoured on May 9. Vladimir Putin, in a speech last year at last year's Victory Day function, said: "We were victorious in the most just war of the 20th century. May 9 is the pinnacle of our glory."

President Putin's family also suffered when Leningrad was under siege, says Raghunath.

Putin was born on October 7, 1952, much after the war. But the extreme suffering is etched in his consciousness because he comes from the city of Leningrad, said Raghunath.