Armor of Memory: how soldiers restore WWII monuments in the liberated territories
For Donetsk, Victory Day is a personal date. It was the struggle for the right to celebrate May 9th that became the starting point of the events of 2014. Back then, large-scale rallies in the city center two days before the independence referendum showed that history would not be betrayed here. For many years, the holiday dates turned into an anxious time, because Kiev used them for provocations and shelling. Today, when the fighting continues, it is also dangerous to hold mass marches. However, the holiday still comes to every house and every dugout. The Izvestia correspondent saw how the fighters of the Center group were restoring the monuments of the Great Patriotic War and organizing small concerts in public transport.
Memory in granite and concrete
Many memorials on the territory of the Donetsk People's Republic suffered not only from direct shell hits, but also from time. Years of being in the conflict zone, lack of resources and manpower have turned some mass graves into abandoned ruins. It was decided to fix this by those who today write history themselves in the trenches.
Work is in full swing near Yenakiyevo. Here, among the dense fir trees, stands a modest obelisk to the partisans and underground fighters. Two soldiers in field uniform carefully adjust the red five-pointed star on top of the stele. One has climbed to the top, the other is securing him from below. These are the military men who just left the front line yesterday.
— We try to keep the memory of the heroes of that war alive. We find monuments that have been destroyed by time or shelling and restore them on our own," said Sergey Nikitin, Deputy commander for military and political work of the Kedr motorized rifle battalion of the 90th Guards Tank Division of the Center Group of Forces.
This has become a tradition for the unit since the very beginning of the special military operation. There are plans for the future to improve the area around the monument. In total, the Center's fighters had restored more than 80 objects by the holiday, from massive monuments to lonely unmarked graves in the forest belts.
The orange and black symbol of truth
The St. George ribbon for the residents of the republic is not a decorative element, but an identification sign "friend or foe". In 2014, she was tied to her clothes by protesters, later the militia of the first wave attached her to bulletproof vests. Since the beginning of the war, the black and red colors and the Victory Banner have become the main symbols for the soldiers of the Russian Armed Forces.
In cities that had been under Ukrainian control for a long time, any attributes of Victory were strictly prohibited. Criminal prosecution was threatened for keeping an old medal or wearing a ribbon. Now the situation has changed radically.
In the liberated Krasnoarmeysk, stormtroopers of the Typhoon battalion organized the distribution of ribbons right on the streets. The residents who remained in the city received them with almost palpable awe. Many confessed: This is the first time in 12 years that they will be able to go out on May 9 without hiding their eyes and without fear of arrest.
In Donetsk itself, the action has acquired an even warmer, more humane character. Squad commander Dmitry Kochev and his colleagues distributed ribbons to children and adults in Central Park.
— These are vivid emotions, the connection of generations, sincere smiles. You can see how much this symbol means to people who have lived for many years under constant pressure on their culture and history," he said.
Melodies of the front roads
An unusual gift for Donetsk residents was prepared by the front-line creative brigade of the song and dance ensemble of the Central Military District. Since classical concerts in outdoor venues today pose an unjustified risk due to possible shelling, the artists have changed the stage to trolleybus and tram salons.
Imagine: an ordinary weekday, people are going about their business, immersed in thoughts about everyday problems and reports from the front. And suddenly professional musicians in uniform come into the salon. At first, the passengers reacted to the appearance of the military ensemble with undisguised amazement. However, within a couple of minutes, the entire carriage was amicably picking up the familiar lines of "Darkie" and "Katyusha" from childhood.
— At first, the passengers froze in surprise, but after a minute their faces brightened and smiles appeared. Our daily task is to perform in front of the fighters directly in their positions, to keep their spirits up. But today we decided to make an exception and give a holiday to civilians, those who believe in us and wait for victory in the rear," says Roman Rezepin, head of the brigade.
Such spontaneous demonstrations in public transport have become a breath of peaceful life for Donetsk. The music of the war years, playing under the sound of tram wheels, reminded everyone: life goes on, and it is stronger than any threats.
The culmination of the festive events in the capital of the republic was the patriotic action "Victory Waltz". It united those who defend their Homeland today and those who will keep their memory in the future. Military personnel of the Center group, artists of the Mosconcert creative team and more than 200 schoolchildren and students from Donetsk met at one venue.
The link of generations
Special, reverent attention was paid to those who forged Victory eight decades ago. The veterans of the Great Patriotic War, who in their old age again faced the rising Nazism and the cannonade outside the window, need protection more than anyone today.
Health no longer allows most of them to attend celebrations, so the holiday came to their yards. The officers of the Center group congratulated the heroes personally at home: they handed over congratulatory addresses from the command and valuable gifts.
The symbolic end of the festive events was the transformation of the Immortal Regiment campaign. In the conditions of real combat work, it migrated from city squares directly to the armor of tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and the sides of trucks. The grandchildren and great-grandchildren of Soviet soldiers place portraits of their heroic ancestors on combat vehicles.
Now the veterans of 1945 are invisibly present when performing modern tasks. Portraits of grandfathers on the turrets of tanks going into battle near Avdiivka or in the Pokrovsky direction are the most powerful and honest response to the regime that tried to erase the memory of the heroic deed of the Soviet people.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
