The Kalmyk republican branch of the interregional public organization “Union of Veterans of the Group of Forces in Germany” today marked the 26th anniversary of the withdrawal of Russian troops from the territory of the former GDR with a motor rally.
The Red Army entered the territory of the German Democratic Republic in the last months of the Great Patriotic War and remained on the territory of this country for 50 years as the victorious army. The troops were equipped with the most modern military equipment and weapons, including nuclear ones. During the Cold War, they largely contributed to the maintenance of stability in Europe.
In 1990, at the height of perestroika and after the unification of Germany, the USSR made concessions and agreed to the withdrawal of troops. On August 31, 1994, the last Russian soldiers left the GDR. This was the largest redeployment of troops in peacetime. 500 thousand servicemen and 12 thousand tanks returned to Russia from Germany. In total, more than 8.5 million Soviet citizens, including more than 30 thousand residents of Kalmykia, served on the territory of this state.
In Russia there is an interregional public organization “Union of Veterans of the Group of Forces in Germany”, which includes 32 regional branches.
One of them is a Kalmyk organization uniting more than 700 veterans who served in Germany in different years. Former conscripts marked the memorable date with a motor rally through the streets of Elista.