NEW YORK, May 7. /TASS/. The victory over Nazism has become a great common heritage for the countries in the anti-Hitler coalition, according to the address of Russian Ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov to participants of the unveiling ceremony of a monument to French pilot of the Normandie-Niemen Regiment, Hero of the Soviet Union Marcel Albert in the town of Chipley, Florida. The text of the address was read during the event which was aired live on YouTube.
"The combat glory of the Normandie-Niemen air regiment is a vivid example of the unity of the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition. The victory over Nazism is our great common heritage. The sacred duty of today's generations is to preserve the memory of those who, at the cost of innumerable sacrifices and hardships, defended freedom and gave us the future," the ambassador noted.
The diplomat said that the life of Marcel Albert is a fine example of unprecedented courage, self-sacrifice and heroism. "He was one of the first French pilots who arrived in the USSR at the end of 1942. As the hero himself recalled, the volunteers asked General Charles de Gaulle, the leader of the Fighting France committee, to send them to the Eastern Front, ‘since the Russians were fighting a real fight.’ As a member of the Soviet-French flying squadron, Marcel Albert took part in decisive battles against the Nazis. By the end of the war, he had 193 combat missions and shot down 23 enemy aircrafts. For his valor, Marcel Albert was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union," the diplomat continued.
The ambassador emphasized that the feat of the French pilots who fought on the Soviet-German front would forever remain in the hearts of Russians. "Memorials in their honor have been erected in five Russian cities. I would like to sincerely thank the leadership of the Washington County Historical Society (Florida) and personally its President Dorothy Odom for supporting the Russian Embassy's initiative to perpetuate the memory of Marcel Albert in the United States, where he lived for over 60 years," he added.
Russian-American relations worsened following the explosive ABC News interview by Biden who stated that the Russian leadership would have to "pay a price" for the alleged attempts to interfere in the US election and made negative remarks about the Russian president. After that the Russian ambassador to the US was invited to Moscow for consultations where he has remained since March 21. US Ambassador to Moscow John Sullivan departed to Washington for consultations on April 22.