The meeting focused on matters of social support for veterans and preparations for celebrating the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
The President emphasised that regional and municipal authorities must work out what every war veteran needs. This applies to medicine, housing and other social and everyday needs.
Support for veterans should not be limited to material measures. Speaking of the approaching anniversary of the Victory, the President noted that the celebration should be part of a well conceived, serious and large-scale publicity campaign. Its mission is to tell the truth. We cannot allow the rehabilitation of Nazi collaborators, Dmitry Medvedev said, and turn a blind eye to the glorification of those who in effect fought against their own people. The President emphasised that we must also protect the generation of victors from the cynical lies that appear from time to time.
Dmitry Medvedev recalled that, at Russia's initiative, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to hold a commemorative meeting on behalf of Second World War victims. He encouraged Russian citizens to do everything to emphasise the humanistic value of the Victory in Great Patriotic War, in World War II, and the way it played a unifying role for the whole planet.
The President also announced that, in accordance with the executive order he has signed, there will be five new Cities of Military Glory in Russia. This honorary title is to be conferred on Volokolamsk, Bryansk, Nalchik, Vyborg and Kalach-on-Don, a town in the Volgograd Region.
The meeting took place in the triumphal hall of the Battle of Stalingrad Museum in Volgograd.