OTTAWA, May 2. /TASS/. Ottawa residents will gather on Victory Day for the Immortal Regiment march to honor World War II veterans, which will be held in the Canadian capital on Victory Day for the first time this year, Board member of Canada’s Coordinating Council of Russian Compatriots (KSORS), Natalia Taryshkina, informed TASS on Monday.
"This year, we will hold the Immortal Regiment march in Ottawa for the first time. The Russian-speaking community in Canada’s capital is small, but we expect about 300 people to join the march," she said. Taryshkina added that, by tradition, on May 9 the community’s representatives will gather at the Canadian War Museum, which is located in the center of the city, near the T-34 tank, for a commemorative rally. After that, its participants will march along the nearby streets as part of the Immortal Regiment movement.
"This year we will make the first attempt. If the community supports us, next year we will extend the route and march from the War Museum to national parliament," she noted. Taryshkina also emphasized that the museum’s administration and Ottawa City Hall were quick to authorize the rally and "provided all kind of support to us."
Besides, the Russian-speaking community in Ottawa will hold several events in the run-up to Victory Day. On May 6, the Canadian capital will host a motor rally, and on May 7, a wreath laying ceremony will be held at the National War Memorial and the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. "Both our and Canadian veterans who fought together on the frontlines of World War II will take part in it for the first time this year," Taryshkina said.
The "Immortal Regiment" march was held for the first time in 2012 in Siberia’s Tomsk. In 2013, some Russian, Kazakh and Ukrainian cities joined the campaign.
On May 9, 2015, when the 70th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany was celebrated, the "Immortal Regiment" marched through the streets of 500 cities across the world with some 12 million people carrying photographs of their ancestors who fought in World War II. Russian President Vladimir Putin joined the march in Moscow with a portrait of his father.