TASHKENT, May 9 (Xinhua) -- Uzbekistan celebrated Victory Day on Thursday to mark the end of World War II (WWII) 74 years ago with large musical and theatrical performances across the country.
Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev visited Independence Square in the capital Tashkent, laid a wreath at the foot of the Monument of the Sorrowful Mother and paid tribute to the memory of compatriots who sacrificed their lives in the name of peace, the president's press service said.
"Thousands of our compatriots, together with representatives of other nations, showed genuine heroism in that terrible war. For 74 years, their great feat has been a school of courage for all of us, a source of pride, and it will always be so," Mirziyoyev said in his speech.
The performances displayed in both the capital Tashkent and regional centers featured war-time armored vehicles, with actors in Soviet military uniforms singing patriotic songs from the WWII era.
More than 1.5 million Uzbek citizens participated in the war, and more than half a million died in battle. The country also received about one million people who were displaced because of the war.
