MOSCOW, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russia this spring will announce its official number of people who died in the Great Patriotic War on the eve of the 65th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II.

    The Defense Ministry, Interior Ministry, Federal Statistics Service and Federal Archives will hold a meeting to discuss the specific numbers later this month, the newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta reported Friday.

    Russian casualties in the Great Patriotic War, which lasted from June 22, 1941, to May 9, 1945, during WWII, have long been in dispute.

    Joseph Stalin announced immediately after the war that seven million Soviet soldiers died at the front line. Russian military statistics put the figure at 8.86 million. Some publications even claimed a significantly higher number of around 26.6 million.

    Russia will hold its first nationwide Victory Day parade on May 9 in 17 cities to mark the anniversary.