Soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces went on combat missions with portraits of their ancestors-veterans

On the eve of Victory Day, Russian servicemen began attaching portraits of their grandfathers and great—grandfathers, veterans of the Great Patriotic War, to their weapons. On May 4, the gunners of the 273rd brigade of the Zapad group of forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation told Izvestia about this.

The servicemen note that this ritual has become for them a tribute to memory and a way to enter a position with a special sense of responsibility and continuity of generations.

"It means a lot. We are proud that our ancestors are coming with us. The very understanding that we are continuing their work, which they did for us, now we are doing the same for our children," said a soldier with the call sign Hedgehog.

The soldier's grandfather served in the Soviet infantry, traveled half of Europe and participated in the liberation of prisoners of the Nazi Buchenwald concentration camp. He met the victory in Germany.

Portraits of heroic ancestors help military personnel feel more confident and perform their tasks with dignity.

"We are continuing their work, and we will not let them down. Victory will be ours," said the commander of the gun with the call sign Raja.

Combat work is carried out on a self-propelled artillery installation "Peony", the caliber of which is 203 mm. The strike range of the system exceeds 40 km, which allows the calculation to successfully hit large targets: ammunition depots and parking equipment. Before firing, the installation is fixed in the ground.

The "peony" bites into the ground before starting work. The bucket rests specifically in order to minimize the recoil of the gun during firing," said Izvestia correspondent Emil Timashev.

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