World War II veterans gather at Kikvidze Park today to mark the 78th anniversary of the Victory over Fascism.

Georgia has 114 WWII veterans; the eldest is Aleksandre Buskivadze, 104.

This year, at the Georgian government’s order, the WWII veterans received one-time assistance of GEL 1,000, while the deceased veteran’s family members GEL 500.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili congratulated WWII veterans on Victory Day.

“The role of our country, Georgians, and our people in the victory of this Great Patriotic War is undoubtedly beyond estimation. 700,000 Georgians participated in this war. More than half of them heroically sacrificed their lives for this idea which was the defeat of evil and the victory over Fascism.

Therefore, once again, I bow to the memory of our heroic Georgians, and I want to thank our heroic veterans on behalf of the government for everything,” the PM said.

“78 years passed after the civilized world defeated Fascism, one of the evils in the history of humankind,” said Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili in his congratulatory message to World War II veterans on the occasion of the Victory Day.

Parliament Speaker remarked that Georgia contributed much to this victory; over 300 thousand Georgians died, and not every heroic deed is known. Our soldiers have recently continued defending global peace and security in different hot places of the world,” Papuashvili said, adding it was everyone’s “duty” to respect the veterans’ “dedication and merit.”

May 9 is Victory Day commemorating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.