'Immortal Regiment' March to Take Place in Vienna, Innsbruck on May 9

Austrian organizers of the "Immortal Regiment" marches commemorating those who fell in World War II, expanded the area hosting the event this year, so as to take place not only near the Soviet War Memorial in Vienna, but also at the military cemetery in Innsbruck, Sofia Parfenova, the coordinator of the event in Vienna, told Sputnik Friday.

VIENNA (Sputnik) – According to Parfenova, May 9 is a weekday in Austria, that is why, the march will start at 5:00 p.m. local time (15:00 GMT) in order to allow people to take part in it after work. In Innsbruck, the march will take place at the Amras cemetery, where burials and memorials to Soviet soldiers are located. The event will start at 3:00 p.m. local time (13:00 GMT).

According to Parfenova, people from Germany, Belarus, Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia and Bulgaria will join the march this year in Vienna.

The "Immortal Regiment" is a patriotic initiative that commemorates WWII soldiers in marches held across Russia and other countries on May 9, celebrated as Victory Day in Russia and the former Soviet republics. During the marches, people carry photographs of their ancestors, who participated in World War II. In 2016, at least 40 countries housed the "Immortal Regiment" marches and some 300 people took part in the march in Vienna in 2016. The Immortal Regiment initiative, held in Moscow last year, was attended by more than 700,000 people.

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