MINSK, May 20. /Dunyo IA/. A solemn memorial rally dedicated to World War II Victory Day and the memory of Soviet soldiers who fought for peace and freedom was held at Secondary School No. 36 in Minsk, which bears the name of Hero of the Soviet Union Gulom Yakubov, reports Dunyo IA correspondent.

The event was attended by students from several Minsk schools, guests of honor, representatives of the diplomatic corps and members of the public.

The solemn memorial rally was also attended by a delegation from the CIS Executive Committee led by Igor Petrishenko, First Deputy Secretary General of the CIS, alongside permanent representatives of the Commonwealth states, the leadership of the Administration of the Leninsky District of Minsk, and Uzbek students.

-  We, the current generation, must cherish the memory of the great feat of our ancestors. The memory of the courageous son of the Uzbek people, Gulom Yakubov, who died defending the borders of the motherland, must remain in the hearts of people forever. We are duty-bound to preserve this memory and pass it on to our children and grandchildren”, - Igor Petrishenko noted.

He also reminded attendees that by the decision of the CIS Council of Heads of State, the honorary title of “City of Labor Glory” was established. In connection with the 80th anniversary of Victory in 2025, nineteen cities across the Commonwealth were awarded this title, including Andijan, Namangan, Samarkand, Tashkent and Fergana.

In turn, representatives of the Embassy highlighted the significant contribution of the Uzbek people to the Victory in World War II. Specifically, it was noted that nearly two million natives of Uzbekistan fought on the front lines, with over 500,000 losing their lives and more than 800,000 sustaining wounds.

It was also emphasized that Uzbekistan became a crucial food supply base for the front, and numerous factories and enterprises were evacuated to the republic. Furthermore, during the war years, about 1.5 million people were evacuated to Uzbekistan, including nearly 200,000 children from war-torn republics. It was particularly noted that Uzbek families took in and raised every single evacuated child.

As part of the event, portraits of the Heroes of the Soviet Union—representatives of the CIS countries who fought for the shared Victory—were displayed. Among them were Gulom Yakubov (Uzbekistan), Oraz Annayev (Turkmenistan), Sundutkali Iskaliyev (Kazakhstan), Domullo Azizov (Tajikistan), Zhumash Asanaliev (Kyrgyzstan), Habibullah Huseynov (Azerbaijan), Martiros Nagulyan (Armenia), Vladimir Martynov (Russia) and twice Hero of the Soviet Union Pavel Golovachev (Belarus). The participants were presented with brief biographical accounts of their lives and heroic deeds.

Following this, the attendees honored the memory of the heroes with a minute of silence. Schoolchildren released white doves into the sky as a symbol of peace, and at the conclusion of the memorial rally, participants laid flowers at the memorial plaque of Gulom Yakubov located in the courtyard of Secondary School No. 36.