Apartment orders and jubilee medals awarded to veterans in Vitebsk

May 5, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. A ceremonial reception for veterans on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held today at the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, reports a BELTA correspondent. The honored guests of the event were 29 veterans - partisans and underground fighters, soldiers and medical personnel, former underage prisoners of Nazi concentration camps. For their military merits, courage and heroism shown during the war, each of them was presented with jubilee medals "65 years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War" by the Chairman of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, Viktor Nikolaikin. In addition to awards, two of those present - partisan Fyodor Surganov and Stalingrad battle participant nurse Elena Khasenzhanova - were presented with apartment orders. Viktor Nikolaikin emphasized that the issue of providing veterans with housing in Vitebsk has been practically resolved: on the eve of the upcoming holiday, apartment orders will be presented to four more residents of the regional center - the last veterans in need of improved housing conditions. Congratulating all those present on the 65th anniversary of Victory, the mayor noted the important role of veterans in the restoration of the national economy in the post-war years. "Your labor is inscribed as a separate milestone in the city's history, and today we continue to work to make it even more beautiful and better," he said. Thus, on the eve of the holiday, the reconstruction of Victory Square was completed, and an Alley of Glory made of military equipment appeared in the Park of Winners. Significant funds are being directed towards the reconstruction of streets, asphalting of roads, improvement of courtyards and embankments, thermal renovation of houses, and housing construction. In particular, last year, about 200 thousand square meters were commissioned in the regional center. In 2010, 320 thousand square meters are to be commissioned, Viktor Nikolaikin noted. -0-