According to the Republican Council of Veterans of War and Home Front, only 443 Tajik veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 are estimated to be still alive.

“The oldest of them is Dodarjon Umarov living in Khatlon’s Vakhsh district.  He is 114 years old,” Rahmatullo Qudratov, the head the Republican Council of Veterans of War and Home Front, told Asia-Plus on Friday. 

“Leokadiya Kovtun is the youngest of war veterans living in Tajikistan.  She turned 90 this year,” Qudratov said.  

According to him, one of war veterans from Tajikistan – Oleg Sobolev -- has been invited to participate in a military parade that will take place in Red Square in Moscow on May 9, 2017.  

More than 270,000 residents of Tajikistan took part in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and 92,000 of them died in battle.  54 of residents of Tajikistan were given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.  Besides, 15 other Tajikistan’s residents were Full Holders of the Order of Glory.

Victory Day marks the end of World War II in Europe, specifically the capitulation of Nazi forces to the Allies (the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France, the United States and other principal Allied nations) on May 8, 1945.

In Russia and other countries of former Soviet Union, the day of Victory over Nazi Germany was celebrated on May 9, because when the German Instrument of Surrender actually entered into force (May 8, 1945 at 23:01 CET), it was already May 9 by Moscow Time.  Post-Soviet countries have continued the tradition.