Russian House in Baku hosts concert dedicated to Great Patriotic War

Russian House in Baku has hosted a concert dedicated to the 83rd anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War, Azernews reports.

The event was co-organised by the Baku Music Academy and the Russian House in Baku.

At the opening, Bishop Alexy of Baku and Azerbaijan addressed the assembled public with a welcoming speech.

The presenter and curator of the event, Doctor of Philosophy in Art History, senior lecturer at Baku Music Academy Alena Inyakina, shared with the audience information about the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War, about the contribution of the Azerbaijani people to the common victory over fascism.

In the Great Patriotic War, every fifth resident of Azerbaijan fought with weapons in their hands: with a population of 3.4 million people (1941), about 700 thousand people went to the front, and about half did not return.

The 77th, 223rd, 271st, 402nd, and 416th national Azerbaijani divisions, 87 fighter battalions, and 1124 self-defence units were formed on the territory of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan was the main supplier of oil and petroleum products to the front - more than 80 percent of gasoline and 90 percent of motor oils—so it was necessary for the front.

There were many military hospitals in Azerbaijan, refugees from other cities of the USSR. More than 130 types of weapons and ammunition were produced on the territory of the republic, including the legendary Katyushas and Yak-3 fighters.

For military services to the Motherland, over 400 thousand soldiers from Azerbaijan were awarded orders and medals, of which about 130 were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The author of the project idea, composer Farhad Alakbarov, presented a new song dedicated to the feat of the 77th division, performed by Anna Inyakina on the piano. Ayten Karadag provided information about the history of the heroic 77th Division.

Choir of the Church of St. Michael the Archangel, under the direction of the Honoured Worker of the United Choir Movement Kristina Afandiyeva, soloists of the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre Nariman Aliyev and Ruslan Persan, soloist of the State Academic Musical Theater Yulia Heydarova, artist of the State Choir Chapel Farhad Alakbarov, as well as Alena Inyakina, Aminat Ahmadova, Inara Azimova, Nadezhda Sementina, Tofiq Zeynalov and Siruz Asgarov, and young talent Varvara Sementina, performed patriotic songs and poems about the war.

Media partners of the event are Azernews.Az, Trend.Az, Day.Az, and Milli.Az.