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Background: Today Moscow, all Soviet people, people of the Earth bid farewell to the heroes of cosmos Georgiy Dobrovolsky, Vladislav Volkov, Victor Patsaev.

14 p.m. Military units drew up by the walls of Moscow Kremlin. On the stands are representatives of working people and public of the capital, scientists, cultural workers, marshals of the Soviet Union, admirals, heads of diplomatic representatives accredited in the USSR.

On the rostrum leaders of the Communist Party of the USSR and the Soviet government.

Funeral meeting starts. It is opened by Andrei Kirilenko, member of the Politbureau of the CPSU Central Committee, Secretary of the Central Committee of the USSR.

"Unexampled heroic deed has been performed by the courageous crew of Soyuz-II spacecraft 2...

They were the first who tested the new space complex - the Salyut orbital station and transport spaceship Soyuz-II. They were fully confident that the task of the Party and the people would be fulfilled and they have done this, have carried out a complex and multilateral programme of scientific researches and technical experiments. The results of their observations are priceless for the science, for the future of the cosmonautics, for the mankind...

... For 24 days we have been watching the courageous cosmonauts on the TV, heard their voices, attentively followed their work...

...Up to the last second they did not lose control off.

They died on their duty like heroes die...

...Their names, deeds and great services for the mankind will live for ever. Peoples will always hold them in remembrance...

Mstislav Keldish, President of the Academy of Sciences of the USSR, Anatiliy Rybakov, a worker, Leonid Borisov, Secretary of the Moscow City Party Committee, spoke at the funeral meeting.

In conclusion the floor was given to Vladimir Shatalov, cosmonaut of the USSR, Twice Hero of the Soviet Union.

The meeting is declared closed.

Artillery salute is fired.

National anthem of the Soviet Union sound over the Red Square.