The Peace March expedition was held to mark the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory in the Second World War

As part of the 53rd humanitarian expedition of the Peace March mission in honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, seven events were organized and held in the Sychevsky and Gagarin districts of the Smolensk region.

Being one of the outposts of Russia, the Smolensk land has been the first to take blows for centuries. During 1941-1943, the Smolensk region was the site of the fiercest battles with the Fascist invaders, during which the Soviet Guard was born. On the territory of the Smolensk region, the fascists carried out a "scorched earth" tactic, the German punishers burned to the ground more than 5,000 villages, of which about 300 along with civilians. During the occupation, every third resident of the Smolensk region became a victim of the Nazis. This is the only region in Russia that has not been able to restore its pre-war population.

Commemorative events of the humanitarian mission "March of Peace" began on May 8, 2025 in the city of Sychevka. Together with Dmitry Isaenko, the organizer of the March of Peace mission, a participant in the Russian military, senior lieutenant, commander of the ATGM battery of the 810th Separate Guards Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet, Hero of Russia Ivan Zharsky, who became famous for his heroism at the front, arrived in the Smolensk region.

The Peace March mission continuously provides humanitarian assistance to the 810th Separate Guards Marine Brigade of the Black Sea Fleet and soldiers of the North group of Forces. After arriving in Sychevka, Dmitry Isaenko, Ivan Zharsky and residents of the city laid flowers at the Eternal Flame memorial in the center of the Sychevsky City Park in memory of the fallen defenders of our Motherland during the Second World War 1941-1945 in the territory of the Sychevsky district. Then, the participants of the laying of flags of Russia and the Victory Banner went to the territory of the village of Kaurovo, Sychevsky district, to hold a patriotic event at the Memorial at the site of the execution of 28 civilians in the village of Kaurovo by the Fascist punitive detachment on January 13, 1942. All those present at the event paid tribute to the memory of civilians, laid flowers, and delivered speeches by Dmitry Isaenko and Ivan Zharsky.

The final event on May 8, 2025 was a trip to the city of Gagarin.

During the Second World War, bloody battles took place on the territory of the Gagarin district, tens of thousands of servicemen died and died of wounds, 141 settlements were burned, destroyed and partially destroyed. Together with Vladimir Grunin, head of the Gagarin Municipal District of the Smolensk Region, the guests of the district laid flowers at the well-maintained Mass Grave No. 2, where soldiers and commanders of the Red Army are buried, in honor of the Heroes of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.

On May 9, 2025, a rally dedicated to this date was held on the central square of the white-stone city of Sychevka, which gathered a thousand residents. The students solemnly and proudly carried out the Victory banner, symbolizing respect for the heroic history of our people. The fighting in the territory of the Sychevsky district was conducted for 518 days. During the occupation from October 10, 1941 to March 1943, half of the civilians died. Before the Great Patriotic War, about 40 thousand people lived in the Sychevsky district, and after liberation the population was only 20 thousand people. The honored guests of the event were veterans, children of the war, who went through harsh trials and became living witnesses of those historical events. At this event, Raisa Sergeevna Isaenko, a living witness of the occupation period, the daughter of the executed Sergei Petrovich Petrov and the mother of Dmitry Isaenko, delivered a speech. In her old age, she is a volunteer of the Peace March mission and has repeatedly visited Donbas with humanitarian aid to civilians.

The final event on May 9, 2025 took place on the Central Square near the "Wall of Memory". Orders were read out to reward civilian volunteers providing humanitarian assistance to the Zapad group of forces, and they were awarded the medal "For Assistance to their own defense," including Dmitry Isaenko, the initiator of the Peace March mission. At the end of the event, the 53rd humanitarian expedition of the Peace March mission went to the front with everything necessary. The Slavic Soul Charitable Foundation, Forte Holding, Geo Med, the Danilovsky Monastery in Moscow, patrons and residents of the Sychevsky and Gagarin districts of the Smolensk region helped in sending the expedition. The Russian Bear volunteer group provided humanitarian aid to the front.