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British WWII Veterans Defy Foreign Office to Visit Crimea

© Sputnik / Vladimir Astapkovich / Go to the mediabankView of the monument to sunken ships in Sevastopol
View of the monument to sunken ships in Sevastopol - Sputnik International
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British veterans of the Second World War have arrived in the Crimean port of Sevastopol, in the face of a previous warning issued by the UK Foreign Office.

Pinned medals are pictured on the jacket of a British WWII veteran during a joint D-Day landings commemoration with US counterparts at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard - Sputnik International
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Tuesday saw a visit by three British veterans of World War II Arctic convoys to the Crimean port of Sevastopol, which came despite the fact that earlier, the UK Foreign Office recommended that the veterans should refrain from visiting the Crimean Peninsula, media reports said.

Mikhail Sheremet, the first deputy chairman of the Crimean Council of Ministers, stressed that "such visits are extremely important for the Republic of Crimea because they help to tell the truth about the peninsula."

He added that it is impossible to underestimate the contribution of WWII veterans of those countries that were part of the anti-Hitler coalition.

"Together with our sailors, they risked their lives to provide assistance to our country. Relying on the veterans' experience, the Crimean government currently conducts patriotic work among young people in order to prevent the repeat of history," Sheremet said.

Veterans who served in Britain's Merchant Navy pose with a selection of Royal Mail Merchant Navy stamps during a launch at the Cutty Sark clipper vessel in London, Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2013 - Sputnik International
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During their six-day visit to the Crimean Peninsula, the veterans are scheduled to meet with the city governor Sergey Menaylo and visit memorials to the Second World War and the Crimean War (1853-1856).

A total of 78 Arctic convoys transported more than 4 million tons of supplies to the Soviet Union, including over 5,000 tanks and 7,000 aircraft, between 1941 and 1945.

About 3,000 sailors were killed after Nazi forces sank over 100 ships that were mainly en route to the Soviet ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk.

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