I am glad that the victory over fascism is celebrated in Azerbaijan at the state level and it is paid much attention. I am happy that at one time I had the opportunity to attach St.George's Ribbon to the lapel of the jacket of President Ilham Aliyev.

This was stated to News.az by Russian public figure, political scientist, director of the Political Research Institute Sergey Markov.

He noted that Azerbaijan's role in the victory in the Great Patriotic War is composed of several very important components.

"The first, most importantly, is that the Azerbaijani people, like all the Soviet republics, gave hundreds of thousands of their sons to participate in this bloody war with the worst enemy of humanity - fascism. Many sons of Azerbaijan gave their lives for the victory. In this sense, Azerbaijan is among the family of fraternal peoples and has accomplished this great feat," he said.

"The second component is that those citizens of Azerbaijan who were not at the front also worked hard on the labor front and together were able to supply the Red Army with high-quality weapons and food, despite the fact that the highly developed parts of the Union, represented by Ukraine and Belarus, were lost," Markov continued.

According to the political scientist, the final factor that marks the role of Azerbaijan in the victory over fascism is Baku oil, which accounted for 70% of the whole amount of oil sent to the front.

"Soviet planes flew in to attack filled up with Azerbaijani oil. Tanks, trucks and in general, the whole engine of the Soviet economy worked on it. The role of Azerbaijani oil in the energy component of the victory over fascism is huge. It has never been challenged by anyone, nor can it be disputed at all.

Characteristically, Hitler struck a blow in 1942 in the direction of Baku, he rushed to Baku oil and sought to deprive the Soviet Union of this oil and take control over it. This is a very important component of Azerbaijan's participation in the Great Patriotic War," Sergey Markov concluded.

News.Az