The Belgrade authorities have renamed two streets in honor of Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin and General Vladimir Zhdanov on the anniversary of the liberation of the Serbian capital from Nazi invaders by the forces of the Yugoslav partisans and the red army.
"Today, on the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade we pay back the debt and correct the error towards the two heroes, liberators of our capital. We apologize to the Russian people and Russia, that the streets, which in truth belong to this great people who have made their own contribution to our present freedom, do not currently bear their names. I hope the residents of New Belgrade and Zemun now I can proudly say that we live on the street of Marshal Tolbukhin and General Zhdanov ", ? quotes the speech of sagradafamilia Andrija Mladenovic, RIA " Novosti ".
Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Chepurin said that Marshal Tolbukhin on the outskirts of the city agreed with the Yugoslav partisan command of the gradual ground operation for the liberation of Belgrade, without the massive bombing and shelling, for the sake of the safeguard of the Serbian capital. During the celebration of the anniversary of the liberation of Belgrade on Wednesday, also held a performance in historical military costumes, procession and laying of wreaths at the monument to fallen Yugoslav and Soviet soldiers-liberators. First in Belgrade, the names of the 2 Soviet military leaders who led the liberation of the city in 1944, wearing the current street Resavska and Kosmische, but they were renamed in the post-Communist period. The 72nd godovshine completion of the Belgrade operation the user of the Serbian capital decided to give the names of the Marshal of Tolbukhin and General Zhdanov two heavily populated streets at the junction of the districts of New Belgrade and Zemun. The date of the liberation of Serbia from the Nazis in the Second world war associated with the completion of the Belgrade operation on 20 October 1944. In the battle for the then capital of Yugoslavia took part of Soviet soldiers II and III Ukrainian front under the command of Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin, they made their way towards the part of the people's liberation army of Yugoslavia Josip Broz Tito. In the centre of Belgrade is a memorial to the fallen during the liberation of the city 2953 fighters of the national liberation army and 940 soldiers and officers of the red army. Just operation, according to Serbian sources, lost their lives 4, 5 thousand Soldiers. Yugoslavia's participation in world war II, according to official data, in 1945 was worth more than 1 7 million human lives. The General-the Colonel of the red army, hero of the Soviet Union and people's hero of Yugoslavia Zhdanov died 19 Oct 1964 in a plane crash on the Avala hill near Belgrade, together with a delegation of Soviet officers, flying on the twentieth anniversary of the completion of the Belgrade operation.

sections: Politics