Rise, great country, Rise for a mortal fight With the dark fascist force, With the cursed horde! Song "The Sacred War" Music: A. Alexandrov Lyrics: V. Lebedev-Kumach June 22, 1941 - one of the most sorrowful dates in Russian history - the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow - the day the Great Patriotic War began. This day reminds us of all those who died in battles, tortured in fascist captivity, died in the rear from hunger and deprivation. We mourn for all who fulfilled their sacred duty, defending their Motherland in those harsh years at the cost of their lives. Early in the morning of June 22, 1941, without declaring war, fascist Germany attacked the Soviet Union, delivering a massive blow to military and strategic targets and many cities up to 250-300 kilometers deep from the state border. Thus began the Great Patriotic War, which lasted 1418 days and nights, and in which the USSR lost about 27 million people but managed to withstand. By this time, many European countries had already been enslaved by fascist Germany, and the Soviet people took the most powerful blow. Alongside Germany, Romania, Italy, Slovakia, Finland, Hungary fought against the USSR, and in mid-August, Norway joined them. The Soviet people responded to the enemy with a unified and powerful resistance, standing to the death, in the full sense of the word, defending their Motherland. The Great Patriotic War was a component and the main content of the entire Second World War, in which more than 60 countries were involved. Military actions were conducted over vast expanses of Europe, Asia, and Africa, on seas and oceans. In this difficult and bloody war, the Soviet people made a decisive contribution to the liberation of the peoples of Europe from fascist domination and to the defeat of Hitler's troops. On May 8, 1945, the final Act of unconditional surrender of fascist Germany and its armed forces was signed. This year, commemorative events dedicated to the anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War were held worldwide. A memorial ceremony took place in Pankow Park in Berlin, with the participation of the Russian ambassador and other diplomats, as well as activists and Russian compatriots, TASS reports. The head of the Russian diplomatic mission in the German capital, Sergey Nechaev, called the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow a sacred and tragic day for Russians. The diplomat stated that the remains of more than thirteen thousand Soviet soldiers are buried in the Berlin park complex. In Belgium, the memorial ceremony took place on the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow at the monument to Soviet citizens who died in the fight against Nazism. Flowers were laid at the monument in the Brussels commune of Evere by the head of the Russian mission to the European Union, Kirill Logvinov. He noted that in modern Europe there is a "historical revisionism" regarding the events of the Second World War, thus undermining the "heroic deeds of those Europeans" who fought against Nazism. The Day of Remembrance and Sorrow was widely marked by the residents of Kazakhstan, in cities and villages across the country, with ceremonies of laying flowers and wreaths at war memorials. Services and memorial prayers for the soldiers who fell during the Second World War were held in all central mosques, Orthodox and Catholic churches in Kazakhstan. Residents of Narva in Estonia were able to participate in the "Candle of Memory" action, which took place near the city on Russian territory. The action was supported by the administration of the Russian city of Ivangorod and the youth organization "Victory Volunteers". As reported by "Russian World," events in honor of the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow covered all of Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin laid a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall, as well as flowers at the memorial signs of hero cities and cities of military glory. More than a million people participated in the memorial actions "Fiery Pictures of War" and "Candle of Memory" in Russia and abroad. On the day the Great Patriotic War began, two hundred twenty-three fiery pictures were lit. Early in the morning on the anniversary of the start of the war, the "Candle of Memory" action took place all over Russia. Thousands of candles were lit in memory of the fallen heroes in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Rostov-on-Don, and many other cities.