Day of the liberation of Ukraine from fascist invaders during the Great Patriotic War (28/10)

On October 28, Ukraine celebrates a significant date in its history — Day of Liberation from Nazi Invaders (Ukrainian). «Day of captivity of Ukraine in the form of fascist sundresses») — is a national holiday dedicated to the expulsion of Nazi German troops from the territory of Ukraine by Red Army troops in 1944.

This date first appeared in the state holiday calendar in 2009. The idea of the holiday was first expressed at the official level by the Minister of Economy of Ukraine Sergei Tigipko on October 15, 2009. Five days later, Viktor Yushchenko, who then served as president of the country, signed Decree № 836/2009 establishing a new date. According to the official wording, the holiday was introduced by « with the aim of nationwide celebration of the liberation of Ukraine from fascist invaders, as well as honoring the heroic feat and sacrifice of the Ukrainian people during World War II».

During the Great Patriotic War, battles took place on the territory of Ukraine, many of which were of particular importance and directly influenced the course of the war. At various times, the fronts were commanded by such famous Soviet commanders as Georgy Zhukov, Rodion Malinovsky, Fyodor Tolbukhin, Nikolai Vatutin, Ivan Konev.

Soviet troops liberated the first settlements in the eastern Donbass region in December 1942. The main battles for the liberation of the republic lasted from January 1943 to the fall of 1944. At this time, up to half of all Soviet forces were concentrated on Ukrainian soil.

On August 23, 1943, Kharkov was liberated, and in September-October of the same year there was a battle for the Dnieper, which culminated in the expulsion of the Nazis from Kyiv. This stage of the war was completed by the Carpathian operation, which began on September 9, 1944. On October 27, 1944, Soviet troops liberated Uzhgorod, and on the 28th they reached the modern western border of Ukraine. In total, in 1943–1944, the USSR Armed Forces carried out 15 offensive operations on the territory of the Ukrainian SSR.

During military operations on the territory of the Republic, about 3 million Soviet soldiers died. Over 700 cities and 28 thousand villages were completely or partially destroyed, about 10 million people were left homeless. The total losses of the population of Ukraine during the occupation are estimated at 8-10 million people. The site of one of the most massive murders of civilians was the Kiev tract Babi Yar.

Currently, on October 28, it is customary to pay tribute to the memory of soldiers who died in the battles for the liberation of Ukraine, civilians who suffered from the actions of the fascist occupiers, and veterans of the Great Patriotic War.

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