俄罗斯外交官:不能让历史失真

Evgeny Tomikhin, Minister-Counselor at the Russian Embassy in Beijing, notes the victory in World War II came at a huge cost.

He says its the Russian government's goal to ensure that sacrifice is not forgotten.

"The effort to prevent the distortion of history has met tough challenges in recent years in some European countries, which regrettably, include some former Soviet states. If we sit back, our children will never know the truth. We must act firmly to stop it."

It's estimated the war left more than 27 million people dead in Soviet Union.

The number of dead in China is believed to be around 35 million.

As part of the commemorations to mark the 70th anniversary of the end of the war, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the military parade held in Moscow this May.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is making a reciprocal visit.

He'll be among 30 different heads of state to attend the events this coming Thursday.

Evgeny Tomikhin says the final preparations by the Russian side are already underway.

"According to the agreement reached by President Vladimir Putin and President Xi Jinping, the two sides have planned a series of joint commemorative events for this year. We are happy to see Chinese soldiers' participation in Russia's V-Day parade on May 9, and the Russian honor guards to take part in the September 3 parade has been in Beijing undergoing intensive training."

Officials from Russia and China paused earlier this month to honor 29 Soviet pilots who were killed in Hubei's capital, Wuhan, while trying to defend the city from Japanese forces in the late 1930s.

This week will also include a Russian ship sail into the city of Dalian in Liaoning.

A ceremony is also going to be held in the city of Harbin in Helongjiang.

The city was once occupied by Japanese troops before being liberated by the Soviet Red Army 70-years ago.

Evgeny Tomikhin says both the Chinese and Russian governments are working to try to restore some of the monuments in northeast China connected to World War II.

"Most of the sites are located in China's Northeast. Some memorial halls, cemeteries and monuments for Soviet soldiers have been renovated. Renovation work is currently underway at China's largest cemetery for foreign troops in Dalian. It will end soon."

More than 1.5 million Soviet troops helped push Japanese forces out of China's northeast a month before the end of World War II.