(Photo by Bai Lizhen/Xinhua Daily)

The Nanjing Memorial Hall for Anti-Japanese Aggression Aviation Martyrs held a commemorative event marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the World Anti-Fascist War on May 7, alongside a youth cultural exchange involving participants from China, Russia and Belarus.

The memorial hall announced updates to the records of the first group of 18 former Soviet Union airmen who sacrificed their lives during the Chinese People's War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression.

According to Miao Lei, a staff member at the memorial hall, the revisions include corrections to birth dates, as well as newly added details such as ranks, roles, and confirmed dates of death, based on verified sources.

In November 2024, the official website of the Dr. Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Administration Bureau released a list of 236 Soviet Union aviation martyrs engraved on the monument in the memorial hall, while also inviting the public to provide historical materials. The memorial hall has since sent researchers to Russia and Belarus to meet the families of the martyrs and to continue its archival efforts.

Since the publication of the list, additional information has been collected from both domestic and international sources. To date, the monument bears the names of 4,299 aviation martyrs from China, the Soviet Union, the United States, and other countries who perished in the fight against Japanese aggression.