Seventy-three years have passed since the historic victory over the Nazi Germany.

On May 9, Azerbaijan marks the Day of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

Events are held in Baku and various regions of Azerbaijan to mark the Day of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.

The World War II, the bloodiest war of the mankind, broke out as the Nazi Germany invaded Poland on September 1, 1939.

On June 22, 1941, the Nazi Germany attacked the USSR, which also then included Azerbaijan. The war finished on May 9, 1945, the flag of the USSR was hoisted over the building of Reichstag in Berlin.

More than 600,000 Azerbaijanis were sent to the front between 1941 and 1945. Divisions from Azerbaijan have walked from the Caucasus to Berlin. About 130 Azerbaijanis earned the name of "Hero of the Soviet Union", 30 more deserved the "Order of Honor". Some 170,000 Azerbaijani soldiers and officers were awarded various USSR orders and medals.

Such people as Hazi Aslanov (twice the Hero of the Soviet Union), other Heroes of the Soviet Union - Israfil Mammadov, Aslan Vezirov, Adil Guliyev, Ziya Bunyatov, Geray Asadov, Melik Maharramov and Mehdi Huseynzadeh, generals Mahmud Abilov, Akim Abbasov, Tarlan Aliyarbeyov and Hajibala Zeynalov and many others brought honor to the history of the Azerbaijani people.

Azerbaijan’s oil was one of the decisive factors in the victory in the Great Patriotic War. With the hard work of Azerbaijani oil workers, the oil production in Azerbaijan reached its peak in 1941 - when 23.5 million tons of oil was produced, making up 71.4 percent of all the oil produced in the USSR.

In total, Azerbaijani oil workers gave the country 75 million tons of oil and 22 million tons of petrol, during the years of war.