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.
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.
