An initiative group of Russians in Washington is planning to hold the first “Immortal Regiment” procession in the centre of the American capital in the past few years on 3 May. This is stated in a booklet distributed by the organisers among Russian-speaking groups in the United States.
The organisers plan to start the event at 15:30 local time in Lafayette Square, located next to the White House complex. Participants are then expected to march in a procession down Pennsylvania Avenue to the World War II memorial in downtown Washington.
“We will march with a band, songs and portraits of our heroes,” the organisers said in a booklet decorated with Soviet symbols and the “St George’s ribbon”, which since 2014 has become a symbol of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.
A “small concert” is also planned at the World War II memorial itself in downtown Washington.
Usually, such actions must be authorised by municipal authorities. According to sources familiar with the plans for the event, the organisers said they already have such permission.
The “Immortal Regiment” action emerged in Russia in 2012 as a public initiative to march with a portrait of a real relative who died or at least participated in World War II.