OREANDA-NEWS. December 9, 2008. The titles of City of Military Glory were conferred on Dmitrov, Veliky Novgorod and Velikie Luki at a ceremony at the Kremlin.
 
Dmitry Medvedev presented the documents on conferral of the honorary titles to the towns’ mayors.

The title ‘City of Military Glory’ was instituted in Russia 18 months ago and is conferred on towns in which or close to which Russia’s defenders displayed courage, steadfastness and heroism during fierce battles.

The city of Velikie Luki (476 km west of Moscow) was the scene of severe fighting during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, with numerous examples of the mass heroism of Soviet soldiers. An active partisan movement comprising 55 detachments and 32 subversive groups operated in the outskirts of the city.

Veliky Novgorod – one of the oldest Russian cities – blocked potential routes to Moscow and Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. It is situated 560 kilometres northwest of Moscow.

In November 1941 Soviet troops launched an offensive attack from the walls of Dmitrov (65 kilometres north of Moscow), an event which was decisive in the battle for Moscow.

Previous presidential decrees have already conferred the title City of Military Glory to Tuapse, Rostov-on-Don, Polyarny, Luga, Voronezh, Elets, Yelnya, Rzhev, Malgobek, Vladikavkaz, Orel, Kursk and Belgorod.