Xi, Putin recall nations' joint fight against Fascists in WWII

An album reflecting the shoulder-to-shoulder joint fight against Fascists by the Chinese and Russian people during the World War Two was published in Beijing Thursday, carrying messages from Chinese President Xi Jinping and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

The album, featuring over 200 historical photos, was jointly published by China Pictorial under the China International Publishing Group and the TASS Russian News Agency, to mark the 70th anniversary of the victory of the anti-Fascist war.

Chinese and Russian people, as mainstay forces at the two major WWII battlefields in Asia and Europe, made indelible contributions to victory, Xi said in his message.

China paid a huge national sacrifice in defeating the invasion of Japanese militarists, with more than 35 million soldiers and civilians dead or injured, Xi said.

Many Chinese, including Mao Anying, Mao Zedong's son, engaged in fighting against Nazi Germany during the toughest time of the Soviet Union's Great Patriotic War, Xi said.

Meanwhile, Xi added, soldiers and civilians from the former Soviet Union provided great support to China's fight against Japanese invasion, with many buried in Chinese soil, which will never be forgotten by Chinese people.

Xi affirmed, Chinese, alongside Russians, will defend the peace and history "written with blood and lives," promote development and make greater contributions to building a community of common destiny.

Putin said in his message that the album records the history of Chinese and Russians fighting together against cruel enemies, and displays peace-loving people's spirit of self-sacrifice.

China and Russia should cherish their shared memories and protect the truth of the war, as some nations are trying to distort history in defense of Nazis and their accomplices, the Russian president said.