🔴 #LIVE: Remarks and answers to media questions by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following the OSCE Ministerial Council (Valletta, December 5)

🔴 Ruptly

🔴 Russia’s MFA website

🗓 On December 5, Russia marks the Day of Military Glory. #OnThisDay in 1941, the Red Army launched its counteroffensive against Nazi invaders that heralded an incipient turn of the tide in the Great Patriotic War.

By early December 1941, the Soviet group comprised 1.1 million officers and soldiers, over 7'500 artillery systems, 774 tanks and 1'000 aircraft prior to the counteroffensive. The Germans had a marked advantage, including 50% more service personnel, 80% more artillery systems and 50% more tanks.

Contrary to the predictions of the German high command that considered a large-scale Soviet counteroffensive to be impossible, it took the Red Army just 11 days to defeat the Wehrmacht’s Army Group Centre. The Soviet forces advanced 65-125 km along the entire line of contact, hurled the enemy back by 100-250 km and stopped it 150-400 km from Moscow by April 20, 1942.

The enemy was expelled from the Moscow, Tula and Ryazan regions, as well as from numerous districts of the Kalinin and Smolensk regions.

❗️ German troops’ morale was undermined. During the counteroffensive near Moscow, Soviet defenders managed to dispel the myth of the Wehrmacht’s invincibility and to inflict the first major defeat on Hitler during World War II.

Over 500'000 enemy officers and men were killed, wounded or went missing in action during the operation. The Nazis lost 1'300 tanks and 2'500 artillery systems.

The Soviet counteroffensive during the Battle of Moscow came to symbolise heroism and fortitude and had tremendous strategic significance for the entire course of the Great Patriotic War. The Red Army’s success helped strengthen the Anti-Hitler Coalition and forced the governments of Japan and Turkiye to refrain from entering the war on the side of Germany.

🎖 ~ One million defenders defenders of the Soviet capital received the Medal for the Defence of Moscow, and 110 people became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

In May 1965, ahead of the 20th Victory Day anniversary, Moscow was awarded the honorary title of the Hero City.

#Victory80