On October 31, the city of Liverpool in the UK will host festivities for the 75th anniversary of the Arctic Convoys, which delivered thousands of tons of weapons and food to the USSR from its allies during World War II, TASS reported. The organizers of the event are the British Ministry of Defence, the Liverpool City Council and the British Royal Legion.

Citing the British Royal Navy press service, TASS reported that about 35 veterans will take part in the celebrations, during which a Royal Navy destroyer will be moored at the Port of Liverpool and the veterans will be invited aboard.

Addressing veterans ahead of the event, the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Philip Jones,  noted their bravery in the face of the enemy, which sent planes and submarines to prevent aid from reaching the USSR. "The veterans of the Arctic Convoys braved pursuit by unseen enemy vessels and some of the worst weather imaginable to bring supplies to the Russian front line at the height of the Second World War," he said.

This will not be the first festive event in honor of the Arctic Convoys' anniversary in 2016. At the end of August the Scottish capital Edinburgh marked the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the Dervish Convoy, the first allied convoy, in the Russian city of Arkhangelsk, which also hosted celebrations at the end of August.

From 1941 to 1945 British warships accompanied 78 convoys across the Barents Sea to the ports of Murmansk and Arkhangelsk. They delivered, under the Lend-Lease program, four million tons of cargo, including over 5,000 tanks and 7,000 planes. During this period the enemy sank 87 commercial ships and 18 Royal Navy vessels, with 3,000 sailors killed. In total, over 3,300 veterans of the Arctic Convoys still live in the UK. In 2012, by order of Russian President Vladimir Putin, they were awarded Ushakov Medals.