Immortal Regiment – 2025: how to find a person, make a portrait and take part
Every year, the Immortal Regiment campaign takes place all over the world, during which everyone pays tribute to the memory and respect of their grandfathers, great-grandfathers, grandmothers and great-grandmothers who participated in the Great Patriotic War. For more information about the campaign, in what formats it takes place in 2025, as well as how to take part in it and find your relative online, see the Izvestia article.
Immortal Regiment – 2025: the history and traditions of the action on May 9th
In Russia, since the 1960s, actions dedicated to Victory Day have been held in different cities. The names were different, but the essence was the same: the participants carried portraits of veterans and fallen heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Now the action, which in recent years has secured the name "Immortal Regiment", is taking place not only in Russia, but also in countries near and far abroad. Its purpose is to perpetuate the memory of grandfathers, grandmothers, fathers and other relatives — participants and victims of the Great Patriotic War (WWII) 1941-1945.
In the form in which the Immortal Regiment is known now, it was first organized on May 9, 2012 in Tomsk. Then about 6 thousand people took part in the movement, who marched in a column through the city, holding in their hands more than 2 thousand portraits of their relatives and friends, participants of the Great Patriotic War.
In 2013, other cities took part in the campaign, including Moscow, Barnaul, Perm, Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, and Volgograd. In total, the Immortal Regiment marched through the streets of more than 120 cities in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in 2013. In subsequent years, other countries joined the campaign: Belarus, Lebanon, Israel, Norway, the United States and South Korea. According to data for 2016, people from almost all corners of Russia participated in the movement, as well as residents of 44 countries around the world, in 2018 the number of countries reached 80.
The essence of the memorial action is that everyone marches in a column through the streets of the city and carries photos of their relatives, whose lives were affected by the war.:
— home front workers;
— blockades;
— concentration camp prisoners;
— children of war;
— fighters of the Resistance movement.
Everyone who participated in the Immortal Regiment is also encouraged to post photos of relatives on the website of the Narodnaya Chronicle project, along with a short biography of the person.
The Immortal Regiment in 2025: how it will be held and take part
On May 9, 2025, the Immortal Regiment will again be held in a mixed format. A full-time march in honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory will be organized in regions where the movement's branches, together with local authorities, consider it safe. According to preliminary data, Krasnoyarsk, Bashkiria, Komi, Chuvashia, Altai Republic, Tuva, Karelia, Khakassia, Altai, Kamchatka Territories, Buryatia, Dagestan, North Ossetia, Yakutia, Khanty-Mansiysk and Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Districts, Tomsk, Tver decided to walk through the streets of cities in the traditional format with portraits of veterans., Leningrad and other regions.
In other cities, including Moscow and the Moscow region, the campaign will be held online. Applications are accepted until May 6. In 2025, for the first time, the heroes of the "Immortal Regiment" will be able to go through an online parade shoulder to shoulder with colleagues from their kind of troops. Switch between them and the general procession at any moment of the broadcast.
Global flash mobs are expected on social media. In posts with the hashtag #Our Immortal Regiment, you can talk about the heroes and post their photos. The photos will also be broadcast on the website of the Immortal Regiment, and these portraits can be seen on media facades in Russian cities and on federal channels.
"Memory Galleries". Portraits are placed here not only of WWII veterans, but also of participants in a special military operation (SVO), they can be placed on central streets and squares of cities across the country.
"The Immortal regiment is on the front line." The participants will remember their relatives and friends who fought against Nazi Germany, record videos with congratulations for their parents and relatives who are waiting for their return and believe in an early victory.
"The Wall of Memory." Special stands have already been set up in various educational institutions where you can post photos of relatives. They won't be removed from schools until the end of the school year.
At the same time, new formats will appear in 2025: on May 9, rare military and victory songs will be available on the Immortal Regiment website.
"Portrait of a hero on clothes". A format that many people love is printing a photo of a relative on a T—shirt, in which you can go out for a walk around the city from May 1 to May 12. In addition to the portrait, you can also add inscriptions, years of life, jewelry, book clippings or other memorabilia related to the person.
#Our Immortal Regiment. Anyone can replace their avatars on social media with a photo of a veteran, write posts about them and add this hashtag so that more people know the story of a relative or a loved one.
"Immortal regiment" by private transport. Anyone can print a portrait of a relative and place it on their car. In this case, the photo should not interfere with the driver's view.
Despite the fact that the march will not take place at the federal level in Russia for security reasons, it is known that the celebrations will be held in 78 cities of 49 countries around the world.
In addition, portraits of veterans will be broadcast in Russia on Victory Day. It will be possible to view it on the official website of the Immortal Regiment, as well as on the VKontakte movement page. Portraits can also be seen on media facades and screens in Russian cities. The broadcast will also be carried out by local TV channels.
How to make a portrait for the Immortal Regiment and find a person by last name
There are many options for creating a plaque with a portrait of a relative. The most popular ones are:
— make a sign yourself. To do this, print out a photo of a relative (the photo should take up most of the poster; if there is no photo, you can write "Immortal Regiment") and add the relative's last name, first name and patronymic at the bottom. The poster can also be decorated with St. George's ribbon, carnations or other symbols of the Great Patriotic War. You can also add a symbol of the Immortal Regiment — a five-pointed star with a crane flying in the foreground. All this must be attached to the long handle.;
— order the entire plaque online. Many photo printing centers offer to make pillars for already designed ones. You can view the offers and choose the appropriate format online. Usually, it is suggested to place from one to four photographs, full name, military rank and various decorations — symbols of victory on the pillar.;
— order a pillar template. Marketplaces offer their customers to buy ready-made signs. All that is required is to add a photo yourself and write your full name.
To find your relative who participated in WWII, you can use a number of resources. One of the most complete is the portal "Memory of the People". To search, you need to know the relative's full name and year of birth. Sometimes this data is not enough, and sometimes, on the contrary, it is better to shorten the entered data or change the query in order to find the person:
— there may be cases when the patronymic is not listed in the documents, then you can search by removing the patronymic.;
— it is worth using an advanced search if other information about the person is known (place of birth, place of conscription, military rank);
— if there is a typo in the spelling of the full name, it is worth trying to enter the name already with it.
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