The FSB Museum was opened in Smolensk to mark the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War

A large-scale historical and demonstration museum complex was opened in Smolensk on the basis of the regional directorate of the Federal Security Service (FSB). The event on October 2 was held as part of the celebration of the Liberation of the Smolensk Region and the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War (WWII).

There was also a presentation of a new book "On the Way to Victory", which tells about the history and heroism of the Smolensk chekists during the Great Patriotic War. The memorial ceremony was attended by veterans and employees of the special services, as well as the governor of the region Vasily Anokhin.

The new museum, which occupies three floors, houses a unique exhibition that reflects the key stages of the work of the Smolensk security officers from the moment the security agencies were established in the Smolensk region to the present. The first floor is dedicated to the life and activities of the staff of the State Security Committee (KGB), the second — to the heroic pages of the Great Patriotic War, the third reflects the tasks of ensuring security during the special military operation (SVO).

"This is extremely important for preserving our true history and countering attempts to distort it. The exhibition clearly demonstrates that the enemy who fought with us in the Great Patriotic War and those who oppose us now are, in fact, the same forces representing the NATO countries. The complex not only develops a sense of patriotism, but also helps to understand the real picture of what is happening," Anokhin stressed.

Among the most valuable exhibits are the personal belongings of Serafim Fedorov, head of the KGB directorate for the Smolensk region from 1956 to 1964. During these years, the region saw an active influx of foreign tourists and journalists, often hiding spies who wanted to gain access to classified information about strategically important facilities in the region, including defense enterprises and the Smolensk Nuclear Power Plant (NPP).

Thanks to the work of the Smolensk chekists, who accompanied important guests and controlled foreign delegates, numerous attempts to leak information were prevented. After getting acquainted with the exhibition, the governor noted that the complex is of particular importance for preserving the history of the regional FSB. It is not just an exposition, but a living history, which reflects the tremendous work and heroism of the Smolensk chekists.

"The careful treatment of personal belongings of veterans and those who died in the line of duty makes a special impression — it is a reminder of the price that had to be paid for our safety and peaceful skies," Anokhin said.

Documentary statement: what the previously unknown facts of the history of the Second World War say

Among the declassified archival materials are data on Hitler's Germany's preparations for war, unique campaign maps and evidence of Nazi atrocities.

In September last year, specialists from the Russian FSB Directorate for the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) declassified and handed over to the Donetsk Museum of the Great Patriotic War documents on the case of the victims of the Nazi occupiers at mine No. 4/4 bis in Stalino in 1941-1943. It was noted that in the future, archival materials will be used to recognize the genocide of the people of Donbass by the Nazis and their accomplices during the Great Patriotic War.

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