August 31, 2021: every year on August 30, residents of Taganrog commemorate their city's liberation day from Nazi German occupation in 1943. According to statistics and historic records, 858 buildings including 15 schools, 7 hospitals and major factories were destroyed during 683 occupation days. This year marks the 78th anniversary of Taganrog's Liberation.
Commemorative events for the city's liberation by the Soviet Army were held with the local government representatives. President of Taganrog City Council and Taganrog City Executive Inna Titarenko and Taganrog City Manager Andrey Lisitsky laid flowers at Military Glory stela.
"Taganrog was the longest occupied city in Rostov Oblast. The long-awaited day came on August 30, 1943. Forces of the Red Army, actively supported by partisans, liberated Taganrog from the Nazis. Dear citizens, I congratulate you on this occasion. Taganrog has been living peacefully for 78 years. We thank those who survived the difficult years of the occupation; we bow to those who fought; we remember those who are no longer with us", said Taganrog City Manager Andrey Lisitsky.
Taganrog Local Government officials also laid flowers on war memorials "Tank", "To Pilots", "To Underground Heroes", "To Sailors", "To Soviet and Party Officials". They visited the Immortality Alley and Gully of Death as well.
A youth patriotic action was organized by Taganrog Local Government and Taganrog Volunteerism Development Center on the same day. Volunteers distributed reprinted edition of "Taganrogskaya Pravda" ("Truth from Taganrog") that had been released on September 2, 1943 in the central streets of the city. Residents paid significant attention to these archive materials.
It is noteworthy that on the eve of the city's liberation day the Peoples' Museum of Military History "Sambek Heights" received colors of military units that had defended the Don region during the Great Patriotic War. The ceremony was held within the
framework of International Military-Technical Forum ARMY-2021.
The 78th Liberation Day celebration culminated in a fireworks show that illuminated the sky at 9PM.