Russia Unveils Monument Honoring Vietnamese International Volunteer Soldiers

[admin]

On August 12, at the "Patriot" park on the outskirts of Moscow, near the Cathedral of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, a ceremony was held to unveil a monument dedicated to Vietnamese international volunteer soldiers who fought to protect Moscow during the Great Patriotic War (1941 - 1945).
 

The monument, consisting of three statues created by sculptor Alexey Chebanenko and named "Allies - Vietnamese Soldiers," depicts soldiers Ly Nam Thanh, Ly Anh Tao, and Ly Thuc Chat in Soviet Red Army uniforms, holding their defensive positions to protect Moscow and fighting to the last breath.

Between 1926 and 1930, several patriotic Vietnamese youths were introduced to Moscow by Comrade Nguyen Ai Quoc (later known as President Ho Chi Minh) for education. When Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union, these individuals volunteered to join the International Regiment of the Motorized Infantry Brigade (OMSBON) of the Soviet People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs to participate in the defense of Moscow.

During the winter of 1941-1942, the Vietnamese international volunteers valiantly defended Moscow and, together with Soviet forces and citizens, drove the Nazi invaders away from Moscow's gates. The three soldiers, Ly Nam Thanh, Ly Anh Tao, and Ly Thuc Chat, fell in battle. In 1986, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR posthumously awarded these soldiers high honors.

At the ceremony, General Phan Van Giang, Politburo member, Deputy Secretary of the Central Military Commission, and Minister of National Defense of Vietnam, expressed his deep emotions while joining Russian Ministry of Defense leaders and other officials in inaugurating the monument. He emphasized that the monument to Vietnamese international volunteer soldiers on the outskirts of Moscow, along with the monument to Soviet/Russian-Vietnamese soldiers who sacrificed their lives for peace and stability in Khanh Hoa Province, not only represents historical traditions but also symbolizes the efforts to strengthen and deepen the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries.