Russia Remembers One of Kosovo's Last Partisans

As Europe marks the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II, Russia has honoured one of the last remaning survivors in Kosovo of the Partisan struggle.

The Kremlin has awarded Riste Stanojkovic, a 91-year-old war veteran, with the Commemorative Medal of Honor.

The head of the Russian office in Pristina, Andrei Lisovoj, gave Stanojkovic the medal for his contribution to fighting fascism in Europe.

"We are here today to honor a veteran of the Yugoslav Partisans for his fight against fascist Germany, which was a common enemy of the Red Army," Lisovoj said, while pinning the medal - which bears a hammer and a sickle - on Stanojkovic's lapel.

The medal was only one of the many - we counted 10 - that Stanojkovic already bears on his chest.

"The first medal I received was for bravery in 1945, when I was 21," Stanojkovic recalled.

 The old man remembers meeting the heroes of the Partisan struggle in Kosovo.

"I remember when Svetozar Vukmanovic 'Tempo' came to hold a speech in Strpce, with the goal of strengthening our resolve," he remembers.

 "I also remember Boro Vukimirovic and Ramiz Sadiku. They were both great heroes," he continues, recalling the two famous Partisan fighters, one an ethnic Serb and the other an ethnic Albanian, who asked to be shot while embracing one another when German forces caught them.

Pristina's first shopping mall and countless other sites were named after the heroes during the Communist Yugoslav era.

Stojankovic's hearing has weakened, but his resolve - and devotion - to the ideals he once fought for has not.

When asked what the anti-fascist struggle meant for him, his eyes lit up. "We wanted to be free of fascist control of our country. Many people like to say we fought the...