MOSCOW, August 29. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of greetings to his Mongolian counterpart Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh on the 85th anniversary of victory over Japanese militarists on the Khalkhin Gol River.

"Our nations revere the memory of the soldiers of the Red Army and the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Army, who fought shoulder to shoulder against the invaders and defended the independence of Mongolia at the cost of tremendous sacrifices," the message reads.

Putin expressed hope that "the good traditions of friendship and mutual support, forged during that cruel war period, are a reliable foundation for the further development of relations of comprehensive strategic partnership between Moscow and Ulaanbaatar."

Earlier in the day, the Kremlin press service reported that Putin would visit Mongolia on September 3, at the invitation from President Ukhnaagiin Khurelsukh. Putin’s schedule will include celebrations dedicated to the 85th anniversary of the joint victory of the Soviet and Mongolian armed forces over the Japanese militarists.

The battles on the Khalkhin Gol River took place in May-September 1939. The Soviet and Mongolian troops commanded by Georgy Zhukov routed forces of Japan’s Kwantung Army that invaded the Mongolian People’s Republic. The victory on the Khalkhin Gol River exerted serious influence on Japan’s decision to refrain from entering the war against the Soviet Union on the side of Nazi Germany.

For Zhukov, this was the first experience of commanding a large-scale battle. The Soviet military commander was awarded Mongolian medals and the Hero of the Mongolian People’s Republic title. The house where he lived in Ulaanbaatar now operates as the world’s sole museum of Georgy Zhukov. Residents of the aimaks (regions) in Mongolia that were the scene of the battles take care of the monuments to fallen Soviet soldiers.