Russia's President Vladimir Putin joined Israeli leader Shimon Peres to unveil a Victory Monument in Israel honoring the contributions of the Red Army to the victory in the Second World War.

Israel's President Peres said the memorial, which includes giant wings made of white stone, symbolized a profound feeling of gratitude to the Russian people who helped saved the world from Nazism and lost 30 million of their own people in the struggle.

"Had it not been for the Red Army that seized Berlin, Nazi Germany would have seized Moscow," the Israeli President said. "The Nazis killed 3 million Jews who lived in the USSR… The Red Army was the first liberator of the prisoners of the concentration camps."

"This amazing monument strengthens the respect I feel towards to the Jewish people and the State of Israel," said Putin.

(READ the story in the Voice of Russia)