Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro honoring the martyrs of the Siege of Leningrad during his visit to the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery in St. Petersburg, May 10, 2025. Photo: TASS.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro visited the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery in St. Petersburg and paid tribute to the martyrs of the Great Patriotic War who are buried there.
On Saturday, President Maduro, accompanied by the high-level delegation from Venezuela, laid a wreath at the World War II memorial, expressing patriotic sentiment, brotherhood, and love and unity between two nations that have engaged in diplomacy for sovereignty since the 18th century.
The Venezuelan delegation was accompanied by Alexander Beglov, governor of St. Petersburg; Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov, Russian ambassador Venezuela; and the director of the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery, Sergey Vladislavovich.
This is how President Nicolás Maduro’s official Russia tour continues, in the context of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory in the Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.
In St. Petersburg, the Venezuelan president also paid tribute at the eternal flame honoring the martyrs of the siege of Leningrad, the longest siege of a city in modern history. From September 4, 1941, to January 22, 1944, the Nazi soldiers laid siege to Leningrad (now called St. Petersburg), taking about a million lives, most of whom perished from hunger. In addition, 107,158 aerial bombs were dropped on the city and 148,478 shells were fired, which destroyed the entire civilian and residential infrastructure of Leningrad and its suburban areas.
The Soviet Red Army saved humanity from racial extermination and fascist domination. The price paid by the Soviet people to free humanity from Nazism was enormous: 27 million dead, including combatants and civilians, 2 million disappeared, and nearly 20 million wounded, many of whom were permanently disabled.
At the memorial event in St. Petersburg, President Maduro delivered a message of admiration for the heroic people of Russia for defeating the Nazis: “The memorial is a very moving and instructive sight. And it is especially important today, when humanity is facing the return of Nazism and fascism, and when we once again defend the right to peace, the right to a future, the right to the peaceful existence of peoples, I think it is impossible to find another example like that of the Soviet people who reached Berlin and liberated humanity. Eternal glory to the martyrs and heroes.”
President Maduro has called for condemnation and defeat of the resurgent fascism that is currently affecting the world, asking for confronting it with the emerging multicentric and multipolar world.
President Maduro honors the memory of Francisco de Miranda
The Venezuelan president also visited the Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg, where he spoke about the Venezuelan independence hero Generalissimo Francisco de Miranda’s involvement in the Russian Army.
“He had a dream of South American independence,” President Maduro said. “His name was Francisco de Miranda, he was a colonel in the Russian Army and the general of the Armies of the Liberators of South America. Today we remember him and celebrate the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.”
The Peter and Paul Fortress is one of St. Petersburg’s main attractions, not only for its historical significance but also for its strategic location, providing panoramic views of the city.
Traditional cannon shot
The Venezuelan president participated in the traditional cannon shot at the Peter and Paul Fortress, which began in 1703 when Emperor Peter the Great ordered daily firings to mark the start and end of work, as well as dinner time for laborers.
On June 23, 1957, the cannon resumed firing at noon from the fortress and has continued daily since. Foreign guests of honor are invited to participate in this ceremonial tradition.
Peter the Great modernized Russia in the 17th century, transforming it from a nation lagging behind its European counterparts into a global power. His reforms spurred extraordinary progress in economy, trade, education, science, culture, and foreign policy.
Earlier: arrival in St. Petersburg
President Nicolás Maduro arrived with his delegation at the Moskovsky Railway Station in St. Petersburg on Saturday morning.
He was received by Alexander Beglov, governor of St. Petersburg; Sergey Melik-Bagdasarov, Russian ambassador to Venezuela; Evgeny Grigoriev, chairman of the St. Petersburg Committee for Foreign Relations; General Jesús Salazar, Venezuelan ambassador to Russia; General Edward Vergel Tortolero, Venezuelan Military attaché in Russia; and Andrés González, principal secretary of the Venezuelan Embassy in Russia.
Venezuela has maintained uninterrupted diplomatic relations with Russia for 80 years, and since the arrival of Commander Hugo Chávez to the presidency in 1999, has strengthened the bonds of brotherhood and cooperation.
The bilateral relations are aimed at achieving practical results for global and regional stability, upholding the United Nations Charter, and strengthening multilateralism in international affairs.
President Nicolás Maduro has been in Russia since Wednesday, May 7, where he has been executing a packed agenda of bilateral meetings with delegations from Russia and other countries.
(Últimas Noticias) by Carlos Eduardo Sánchez, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
