To mark the 80th anniversary of the Victory, the Veterans of the Diplomatic Service Foundation will release a series of books about the Second World War

The Foundation of Veterans of the Diplomatic Service (MFA of Russia), in preparation for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, implements international humanitarian projects "We Honor and Remember", "Book of Memory. Europe", "Book of Memory. The Republic of Belarus". The Foundation's Board of Trustees is headed by Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

"On the anniversary of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, it is especially important to preserve and pass on to future generations the truth about the heroism of the Soviet people, about their decisive contribution to the defeat of fascism. The publication of these books is an invaluable contribution to the preservation of historical memory and a tribute to the heroic deeds of our soldiers and officers who gave their lives for the freedom of Europe and the world. This project is especially important in the light of Russia's new educational doctrine, approved by Decree of Russian President Vladimir Putin in May 2024, which aims to preserve historical heritage, strengthen patriotism and form an active civic position in society," said Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation, Executive Secretary of the Organizing Committee for the preparation and celebration of the 80th Anniversaries of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 by Anton Kobyakov.

These initiatives are part of the large-scale work carried out by the Russian Foreign Ministry to establish the historical truth about the decisive role of the Soviet people in the fight against fascism and to preserve the memory of the soldiers and officers of the Red Army who died during the liberation of European states.

At the moment, the Foundation has successfully implemented a number of projects: previously, "Books of Memory" about Soviet military graves and Soviet servicemen buried there in Bulgaria, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Romania, Slovakia and Estonia, as well as the first four books on Gomel, Vitebsk, Mogilev and Minsk regions, a seven-volume edition on Belarus.

"It is important to note that in addition to the project team, employees of Russian foreign institutions and the Foundation's public experts on military history and war memorial activities, volunteers from among local citizens and compatriots are actively involved in the work on the books. Thanks to them, a search and clarification of the personal data of Soviet servicemen who died on the territory of the mentioned European states was organized. At the moment, updated lists of 165,154 soldiers and officers of the Red Army buried in Europe have been published on the Foundation's website as part of the Honor and Remember project," said Mikhail Bogdanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation for the Middle East and Africa, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

Currently, the Foundation continues to work on the "We Honor and Remember" project, the remaining books on Minsk, Brest and Grodno regions of the Republic of Belarus, as well as on the two-volume "Book of Memory. Poland". The circulation of each volume is 500 copies. The books contain archival documentary information, descriptions of the offensive operations of the Red Army, lists of Heroes of the USSR, color photographs of Soviet military graves and memorials. Books are distributed free of charge through library collections, as well as on the basis of incoming applications.

The Foundation has been implementing international humanitarian and social projects since 2018 through voluntary donations. You can support the organization's activities and contribute to the preservation of historical memory and care for veterans by reading the information on the official website and by phone: 8 (499) 244-36-87.