A delegation from the Czech Republic arrived in Kharkov to visit the memorial sites associated with the battle that took place 75 years ago near the village of Sokolovo in the Zmiev District.

The delegation members got acquainted with the historical monuments of the Second World War connected with the Czechoslovak battalion, which took part in the battle near Sokolovo. The delegation included more than 200 people - representatives of the Ministry of Defense of the Czech Republic, the Czech public organization "Sokolovo", relatives of combatants Guests laid flowers to the mass grave on the street. Literary, where about 900 nameless warriors of various nationalities who died during the liberation of Kharkov. Dressed in military uniform of those times, Czechs marched in front of a memorable place and honored a minute of silence in the fight against the fascist invaders.

Before the guests was the deputy of the Kharkov Mayor Svetlana Gorbunova-Ruban.

"We have a great duty - an obligation to remember. We must not forget what happened to our family and friends, our ancestors. I am a daughter of veterans and I know about the war not only from books, but also from the lips of my parents. And I bow low to our veterans, with whom I have to constantly work, communicate, solve their problems. They are the bearers of the story that we here today honor. I also bow low to our guests for the fact that you carry this great memory in yourself, for giving it to the next generations. I am sure that this meeting is one more moment of human memory that will preserve the best qualities in us - humanism, kindness, charity, the desire to support each other, "said Svetlana Gorbunova-Ruban.

Also, the Czech delegation visited the place next to the building where the plaque Commander of the company of the 1st Czechoslovakian separate infantry battalion Otakaru Yaroshu, who died in the battle of Sokolovo on March 8, 1943. Foreign guests also visited the courtyard of the house, where 75 years ago the commander of the Czechoslovak separate infantry battalion Ludwig Svoboda read out an order to nominate a battalion to the village of Sokolovo.

In Zmiev and Sokolovo there will be celebrations dedicated to the 75th anniversary of commemorative events, including the military historical reconstruction of the battle.