10 May 2005
DAILY REVIEW FROM TATARSTAN
Tatarstan Officials Take Part in V-Day Celebrations
Tatar President Mintimer Shaimiev on 9 May inaugurated a monument to more than 300 women who lost their lives defending their country during World War II, RFE/RL's Kazan bureau reported the same day. During the unveiling ceremony, Shaimiev pledged to use his personal funds to replace the painted plaster monument with a bronze copy later this year. Also on 9 May, the prime minister of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov, attended a memorial commemoration at Kazan's Archa cemetery. He later joined State Council speaker Farid Mukhametshin for a similar ceremony at the city's Arkhangelsk cemetery.
Compiled by Iskender Nurmi
DAILY REVIEW FROM BASHKORTOSTAN
Bashkortostan Marks Victory Day
Ufa's Victory Day parade on 9 May featured motorized strategic rocket systems instead of the traditional tanks and armored personnel carriers, an RFE/RL Ufa correspondent reported the same day. Smaller parades and commemorations were held in other cities in the republic marking the 60th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. More than 700,000 Bashkortostan residents joined the Soviet Army during the war; some 300,000 failed to return home. Some 14,000 World War II veterans currently reside in the republic, more than 2,000 of whom are women.
Compiled by Iskender Nurmi