Britain's Princess Anne, daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, plans to visit Russia's Arkhangelsk region to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the first Arctic Convoys from Great Britain at the port of Arkhangelsk during World War II.
"Ten people from Britain are coming. Princess Anne has confirmed her participation in this event; the Royal brass band of Britain is coming, too," said Igor Orlov, the governor of the Arkhangelsk region, during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on August 22.
Large-scale commemoration events will take place in Arkhangelsk on August 30-31, and 35 Russian war veterans will participate in the celebrations, Orlov said.
"These people definitely deserve our attention," Putin said.
Between August 1941 and May 1945, about 78 convoys of merchant vessels, accompanied by the Royal Navy and U.S. Navy, sailed from the United Kingdom, Iceland, and North America to the northern ports of Arkhangelsk and Murmansk to deliver essential supplies to the Soviet Union.
The convoys demonstrated the Allies' commitment to helping the Soviet Union, prior to the opening of the Second Front.
