World War II veteran Maria Gladun, 102, receives congratulations with the upcoming Victory Day, marking the 81st anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Vladivostok, Russia. Maria Alekseyevna, a native of the city of Stalino (now Donetsk), was in Sochi at the outbreak of the war, where she had travelled to visit her sister. After mobilisation, she completed training at a radio operators school and was assigned to the 182nd Separate Signals Battalion of the Coastal Army (later the 18th Army). In 1943, alongside sailors of the Black Sea Fleet, she took part in the defence of Malaya Zemlya near Novorossiysk, which ended with the city's liberation. Later, Corporal Grigoryeva (her maiden name), serving with the Coastal Army, helped liberate the Taman and Kerch peninsulas and took part in combat operations in Belarus, Poland, East Prussia, Germany and Czechoslovakia. Maria Alekseyevna was awarded the For Combat Merit, For the Defence of the Caucasus, For the Capture of Koenigsberg, For the Capture of Budapest and For the Capture of Berlin medals, as well as the Order of the Patriotic War, 2nd class.
- Package: Russia WWII Veteran
- Categories: Unrest, Conflicts & War, Human Interest
- Location: Vladivostok, Primorsky krai region, Russia
- Event date: 04.05.2026
- Date published: 04.05.2026
- Author: Vitaliy Ankov
- Credit: Sputnik
- Source: Sputnik
- Original: Digital
- Media: JPEG, 7224x4815px, 19.3Mb
- Job-ID: 27f1e36acdc9f04e