Tajik President Emomali Rahmon will provide grants up to 3,000 somoni (TJS) to war veterans on the occasion of Victory, a source in the government told Asia-Plus today.  

According to him, the grants will be handed over to the veterans by senior representatives of ministries and agencies, local authorities as well as the ruling People’s Democratic Party of Tajikistan (PDP).  

Besides, the president ordered local authorities to provide financial assistance to war veterans proceedings from their own opportunities, the source added.     

The Republican Council of Veterans of War and Labor of Tajikistan says only 443 Tajik veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 are estimated to be still alive.  The oldest of them is Dodarjon Umarov living in Khatlon’s Vakhsh district.  He is 114 years old.  Leokadiya Kovtun is the youngest of war veterans living in Tajikistan.  She turned 90 this year.   

More than 300,000 residents of Tajikistan took part in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and 92,000 of them died in battle.  54 of residents of Tajikistan were given the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.  Besides, 15 other Tajikistan’s residents were Full Holders of the Order of Glory.

Victory Day marks the end of World War II in Europe, specifically the capitulation of Nazi forces to the Allies (the United Kingdom, Soviet Union, France, the United States and other principal Allied nations) on May 8, 1945.

In Russia and other countries of former Soviet Union, the day of Victory over Nazi Germany was celebrated on May 9, because when the German Instrument of Surrender actually entered into force (May 8, 1945 at 23:01 CET), it was already May 9 by Moscow Time.  Post-Soviet countries have continued the tradition.