Dear fellow countrymen, the inhabitants of the glorious Donbass!

I wholeheartedly congratulate you on the 72nd anniversary of the Great Victory!

For many decades, May 9 is the most holy holiday for all of us. On this day our fathers and grandfathers finally broke the back of the Nazis. It is a symbol of true courage and military glory, devotion and love for the Motherland, the triumph of a great and invincible people.

The enemy was strong, but solidarity and unconditional readiness for self-sacrifice day after day, battle after battle, brought our ancestors closer to the cherished goal. Today, we bow our heads to the commanders who led the armies to attack, ordinary soldiers whose courage did not know examples in history, the people who gave everything for the sake of the Victory and our freedom. We remember the fallen and honor our dear veterans. Thank you, dear, for our life!

In many ways, the people of Donbass have been fighting for the right to celebrate May 9 for three years. We stand for the participants of the Great Patriotic War to wear their medals and banners without fear and with pride. For our children to honor the true heroes, and those who are no longer with us to walk in the column of the Immortal Regiment. The strength and courage in the battles for these values ​​is given to us by the memory of the Great Victory of 1945. It is the duty of our generation not to let erasing from history the colossal importance of the heroism of every Soviet soldier.

Dear compatriots, on this great day, I wish you steadfastness and courage for any accomplishments. Let your families always have love, understanding and care. Peace to the Republic and Victory!

Alexander Zakharchenko

Head of the Donetsk People's Republic