From June 21 to 22, 2019, as part of the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, two significant events organized by the Moscow Department of Culture will be held in Moscow: "Line of Memory" on Crimean embankment And "Memory Watch. Eternal Flame" V Alexander Garden.
Promotion "Memory Line"
On June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War began and continued1418 days. Every day is a symbol of mass heroism, courage and fortitude shown by Soviet soldiers in the fight against the Nazi invaders.
On this memorable night for the entire Russian people, June 21, during the “Line of Memory” campaign Crimean embankment of the Muzeon park will be illuminated by fire 1418 candles, each of which will highlight a specific day of the most terrible war in the history of mankind.
Everyone can take part in the action. Volunteers on the embankment will help find a candle symbolizing a specific day of the war associated with family history and light the fire of memory.
The program will start at 19:00 and will be presented performances and a concert program dedicated to the theme of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. The musical and dramatic program “Link of Times” will feature artists from Moscow theaters: GITIS, the Most Theater, the Moscow Attic Theater, the Moscow musical theater for children and youth “Improvt” and others. On the stage of the event, actors will recreate excerpts from the memories of war participants, read poems by front-line poets, talk about the battle path of the heroes and take viewers back to the terrible years of the Great Patriotic War. Russian artists will also take part in the program: People's Artist of the USSR Vasily Lanovoy, Honored Artist of Russia Alexander Sklyar, the group "Five", Vladislav Kosarev, the group "Acapella Express", Ekaterina Guseva and others.
In memory of all those who died during the war, the first candle will be lit at 22:00, symbolizing June 22, 1941, after which everyone will be able to join the ritual.
IN 22:30 the beginning will take place musical and poetic marathon "Living Memory". Fragments of messages from the Sovinformburo relating to the period 1941–1942 will be heard on stage, and participants of the action will also read fragments from the memoirs of witnesses of the Great Patriotic War, their diaries and works.
IN 23:40 the premiere of a dramatic performance will take place on the stage of the event "Postmortem" Moscow independent Theater-Studio "15" under the direction of Dmitry Bikbaev, created specifically for the event based on the story "Sashka" by Vyacheslav Kondratyev. The play unfolds events from the lives of young soldiers who first encountered the horrors of war.
After completing the music and drama program in 00:40 Guests will be treated to a screening of the film “The Ballad of a Soldier,” directed by Grigory Chukhrai at Mosfilm. The film was released exactly 60 years ago.
The program will end with a broadcast of the announcement of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War in the voice of Yuri Levitan and a minute of silence.
Campaign "Memory Watch. Eternal Flame"
The “Memory Watch” campaign, which will be held in Moscow for the 28th time this year, will take place on June 22 at 03:00. Boys and girls from youth associations, public organizations and patriotic clubs, as well as everyone, together with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, will take part in the Action to remember the events of 1941, honor the memory of those who fell for the Motherland and lay flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
At four o'clock in the morning, the voice of Yuri Levitan will announce the beginning of the war and the laying of flowers will take place. Among the participants in the laying ceremony are the Honor Guard Company, honored guests and representatives of youth organizations. After laying flowers, participants will honor the memory of the victims with a minute of silence.
Promotion "Memory Line":
Date and time: June 21 from 19:00 (gathering of guests from 18:00) to 02:30 – cultural program of the event; you can see the installation from 1418 until 23:30 on June 22
Location: Crimean embankment, Muzeon Art Park
"Memory Watch. Eternal Flame":
Location: Alexander Garden
Students of the All-Russian State University of Justice and its branches, together with cadets of the Cadet Corps of the Investigative Committee of Russia and students of the Saratov State Law Academy, took part in commemorative events dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War.
The patriotic action “Memory Watch” took place in the Belarusian city of Brest, which in 1941 took upon itself the first blows of the enemy army. At dawn on June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union without declaring war. The first blows were taken by the Brest Fortress, which was subjected to powerful artillery shelling and an air raid, after which the fortifications were attacked by German assault troops. The defense of the Brest Fortress became an important battle in which Soviet troops were able to show their readiness to defend their Motherland to the last drop of blood.
75 years after the tragic events of June 1941, University students visited Brest, where on June 21 a reconstruction of the events of the last peaceful day in the city took place. Students were introduced to the life of Soviet people; throughout the day, residents of the city in costumes of the 40s walked along the main street of the city, not suspecting that war would begin tomorrow; retro cars drove along the roads, returning viewers to the past, allowing them to see history with their own eyes. . Students of the University of Justice and its branches supported the memorial concert by performing military patriotic songs for city residents.
In the pre-dawn hours of June 22, all participants in the “Memory Watch” action joined the memorial procession along the alley of the Brest Hero-Fortress Memorial Complex, and at exactly 4 a.m., just as the war began, a requiem meeting dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the start of the war started and defense of the Brest Fortress. Rector of VSUYU Olga Aleksandrova, together with the leadership of the city of Brest and the Brest Hero-Fortress memorial complex, laid flowers at the Eternal Flame, after which the students also had the opportunity. More than two hundred University students were able to honor the memory of those who fell at the walls of the Brest Fortress on a memorable morning.
“We - the heirs of the victors, the true soldiers of freedom - must know that the great Soviet people won the Victory,” noted VSUYU rector Olga Alexandrova. - This is already the third patriotic event, and I think that it will become a good tradition. Every year we will come here to the Brest Fortress to honor the memory of the fallen.”
The participants of the action were greatly impressed by the detailed reconstruction of the defense of the Brest Fortress. Students were able to observe with their own eyes the terrible events of June 1941, feel all the horrors of war and understand that such cruel wars should not be allowed on Earth in the future.
Such actions are especially important for the patriotic and moral education of young people, because it is necessary to know history so as not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Taking part in the patriotic action “Memory Watch”, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War, the younger generation adopts the valuable heritage of our grandfathers, preserves in memory the tragic events of those years in order to prevent future outbreaks of nationalist hatred in the world.
Reports about the action on TV
- TV channel video report
The “Memory Watch” campaign has begun in Russia - since mid-April, members of search teams have been going on expeditions to find and identify the remains of missing soldiers of the Great Patriotic War. Ignat Kushnarev, press secretary of the Russian Search Movement, told TASS about how the expeditions are going and how to take part in them.
When and where does the Memory Watch take place?
The search for the remains of soldiers and officers of the Great Patriotic War is taking place in all 38 regions of Russia where active hostilities took place.
Excavations are carried out mainly in the warm season. In winter, search engines prepare for the new season, study archival documents and memories of veterans, so that in the spring and summer they can go to the battlefields.
The first search work traditionally begins on the eve of Victory Day, in mid-April, so that on May 8-9 the burials of the found fighters and transfer ceremonies for burial in their home region can be organized.
The completion time of expeditions depends on the climate of the region - if in the Rostov region it is possible to carry out search work in October-November, then in the northern regions of Russia expeditions last approximately until the beginning of autumn or the first snow.
How to get involved?
Anyone can join the search party. To do this, you need to contact the head of the Russian Search Movement branch in your region.
Some begin to work not “in the fields”, but with electronic databases of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation - OBD "Memorial", "Memory of the People", "Feat of the People", - helping relatives find out about the fate of soldiers who died during the war, and also take care of military graves and memorials.
Among the expedition participants there are both professional historians and enthusiastic researchers. You can become a search engine from the age of 14. At the moment, the oldest member of the squads is 98 years old.
What do you need to know to go on an expedition?
If you are more interested in search work in battlefields, but do not have the relevant experience, you need to be prepared to undergo training. For those who are just starting out in search, “Search Engine Schools” are organized. There you can attend classes on human anatomy, search methods, topography and GPS navigation, and military archeology.
If you contacted the “Search Movement of Russia” department in the spring-summer, you can come to one of the expeditions in the summer and observe the search work, in the off-season you can undergo training and next year go on an expedition as a trained member of the search team.
How to prepare for a trip on an expedition?
The daily life of a search party differs little from the life of any tent camp: you need to stock up on a tent, warm clothes, and food for the duration of the expedition. Search tools - a probe and a shovel - are provided on site. The searchers are also helped in their work by a metal detector, which is kept by the group commander.
The duration of your trip depends, among other things, on the region where you live. For example, residents of rear regions where there were no active battles during the Second World War (for example, Tyumen and Novosibirsk regions) more often go on long two-week expeditions.
If you live in one of the 38 combat regions, you can spend one or more days on an expedition. Much depends on how large a combat area the detachment wants to explore during the work.
Can they help me find information about a participant in the Great Patriotic War?
Participants in the Russian Search Movement can help you use the electronic databases of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
As part of the "Fate of a Soldier" project, search engines are collecting applications from those who want to know the fate of WWII participants. All names of already found and identified fighters are entered into the database of the All-Russian Information and Retrieval Center.
Over the five years of its existence, the Russian Search Movement managed to find the remains of about 100 thousand soldiers and officers, of which 5 thousand were identified by medallions.
Daria Burlakova
The 2018 season was opened by searchers from the Rubezh detachment in winter. In February, near the village of Khlepen, we found 2 fighters. Unfortunately, there were no medallions with them. And now the long-awaited spring has arrived.
Our Expedition took place from April 21 to May 2. We didn’t just throw ourselves in... All the equipment, food and personal belongings were carried through fields, ravines and rivers by Ural and Kamaz, periodically pulling each other out of the muddy spring soil. Motor boats at that time transported some people across the reservoir. The boats traveled 15 kilometers through the water, and no matter how much we hoped that the hurricane would pass by, a storm hit us in the middle of the journey. The elements were in full swing. Heavy winds, lightning and torrential icy rain in the middle of the big water soaked us to the skin. Visibility was zero, the wave completely overwhelmed us, and the wind forced us to practically lie on the bottom of the boat. Lightning struck the water 20 meters from us. But nevertheless, we came out of the battle with the Elements as a draw)
Having set up camp and dried our things by the fire, we realized that the task for the day was completed...
The first few days the search yielded no results. The usual combat iron - fragments, helmets, etc. But on the 4th day the first fighter was found. The next day another one. On the same day, a German was found in a trench at an unnamed height. After developing the trench, 6 more of our soldiers and 2 medallions were found. One was empty, the other was unreadable. Later, on a steep bank, a meter above the water, the guys saw our soldier’s boot sticking out of the ground. Another one! He didn’t reach the enemy trench just a few meters...
During this expedition, our Rubezh search party was replenished with new searchers. One of them was the Rector of the Temple in the village of Ivanovskoye, Father Alexey Osipov. In 2015, on the island, in a place of fierce and bloody battles, we erected a Cross of Worship in memory of the Red Army soldiers who died on this land. And this time the time has come to consecrate it. We got on the boat and went to the place. On this day the weather was again against us. The piercing wind and light rain along with low clouds were not particularly pleasing... Having traveled 17 km by boat in this bad weather and then walked another 3 km. we went to the Cross. Last year we planted six birch trees in front of the Cross so that the shore in front of it would not be washed away by the wave. Luckily, they all took root and already had small leaves on them.
Father Alexey performed the consecration ceremony. Words cannot convey our feelings. Personally, in my soul there was a feeling of completing a big and right thing.
On the last day, our searchers found 3 more fighters in the edge of the stream. And with them 2 medallions! One will be sent for examination, and the second was read immediately.
Mutyk Lutfulin. Born 1905 A.T.S.S.R Kazan. Chistopol. Turk. S.S.R
D. Muslyumkino.
On May 7, 2018, after a persistent search by a member of our squad, Polina Smirnova, the fighter’s relatives were found. Grandsons and granddaughters. A grandson from St. Petersburg, a granddaughter from Tolyatti and a great-grandson from Moscow are planning to come to the burial, which will take place in the Smolensk region on June 22.
As a result of the spring search expedition, the Rubezh detachment found the remains of 12 Red Army soldiers and 1 Wehrmacht soldier.
Eternal Memory and Glory to the soldiers and commanders of the Red Army who gave their lives in battles against Fascism!
The commander of the search detachment "RUBEZH" O.Yu. Trench
For the third year in a row, the guys from the Dobrynya search team of the Ermak patriotic club are going to go to the Smolensk region for the international Memory Watch. What kind of event is this? And, most importantly, why do young guys, leaving the comfort of cities, go to forests full of mosquitoes and various difficulties, where there is no Wi-Fi and cellular communications, live in tents and work every day, digging up mountains of earth?
Let's figure this out.
How did search associations begin?
The Second World War claimed millions of lives, and often the remains of people remained unburied on the fields where bloody battles took place. There are many places on the map of Russia that are marked by the most massive battles with the Nazis: these are the outskirts of Volgograd, the Novgorod region, the Vyazemsky forests, the Sinyavsky swamps and others.
In the post-war period, the authorities did not pay enough attention to the problem of searching for and burying the dead, and it is no secret that many participants in the Great Patriotic War are still listed as missing.
Therefore, unorganized groups of people independently went to the battlefields, found the remains of wars and reburied them.
Beginning in the 1980s, such disparate groups began to unite, and in the spring of 1988, the first All-Union gathering of representatives of search teams of the USSR took place, at which it was decided to organize the All-Union Coordination Council of search teams. From this time on, the search for those killed in the war was no longer spontaneous, but centralized.
At the end of 1988, according to a decree of the USSR Ministry of Defense, the “Places of Military Glory” hikes switched to the “Memory Watch” format to search for and bury the missing. Already in May 1989, the first “All-Union Memory Watch” took place near the village of Myasnoy Bor, Novgorod region. The following year, the “Memory Watch” was held in the Smolensk region, and subsequently in regions throughout the country.
Since 1989, it was also decided to maintain the All-Union Book of Memory, in which it was planned to record information about soldiers killed in the war. At the end of the same 1989, it was decided to create the Coordination Center of the USSR Ministry of Defense for perpetuating the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland, whose responsibilities included ensuring interaction between military structures, state and party organizations and foreign public associations regarding the search, discovery and recording of military graves.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, it was decided to give the search association legal status, and then the Association of Search Associations “People's Memory of the Defenders of the Fatherland” (“AsPO”) was registered with the Ministry of Justice. As a result, many participants in the search organization left ASPO and began to create their own autonomous search teams, which were financed by charitable foundations and other organizations.
In 1993, the Government of the Russian Federation adopted the law “On perpetuating the memory of those killed in defense of the Fatherland”; search work acquired official status and support from government authorities. In subsequent years, amendments were made to existing legislation in order to ensure adequate funding for exploration work.
Since 2006, the President of Russia assigned the Ministry of Defense the authority to perpetuate the fallen defenders of the Fatherland, at the same time a new Internet project was launched, the United Data Bank Memorial, which contained data on irretrievable losses during the military operations of the Great Patriotic War, and where each could try to find information about a relative who disappeared during the war.
An action that has been held throughout Russia for several years now - “Memory Watch” - is intended to find them and restore the names of the heroes.
How and when does the “Memory Watch” take place?
Typically, “Remembrance Watches” are held twice a year – a few weeks before Victory Day on May 9 and at the end of summer, but in many areas they take place from early spring to late autumn.
Members of search groups go to the places where battles took place during the Great Patriotic War to search for the remains of soldiers who died on the battlefield. They work in “field” conditions, with shovels, probes, metal detectors and other devices. In addition, we can also talk about the detection and recovery of military equipment.
By the end of the two-week “Memory Watch,” all the found remains of soldiers are solemnly reburied.
After the “Memory Watch”, various thematic events can be organized: exhibitions, round tables, conferences and others. In addition, searches are conducted all year round for the relatives and friends of those fallen soldiers who were found and identified.
Who can take part in the search?
Members of military-patriotic detachments and public search associations take part in this annual event. Anyone can join search teams, provided that they are willing to endure the “hardships of field life,” because the teams spend the night in tents and go out on search “missions” for 10-12 hours during the day.
But the most important thing is that we are ready to become part of one team, united by a common goal. And this goal is simple - it is, first of all, paying tribute to the memory of those people thanks to whom we live today. And the second, no less important, is to instill through a specific deed love, respect and pride for the glorious heroic history of our Motherland.
Commander of the Dobrynya search detachment D.N. Sizov
(Website materials used
"Union of search teams of the Russian Federation")
