On May 9, 2015, an unprecedented procession was organized in the Russian capital - millions of people walked along Red Square and the central streets of the city, carrying portraits of their fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, and even great-great-grandfathers who participated in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. This event was planned and brilliantly conducted by a regional patriotic public organization called the Immortal Regiment - Moscow.
History of the movement
The idea of such a parade was born in Tyumen. Its author, the son of a war veteran Gennady Ivanov, organized a similar march through the streets of his city on May 9, 2007. Gennady admitted that a few months before this he had a dream: he literally saw a procession of people with portraits of their ancestral warriors in their hands. Gennady Ivanov brought to life what he saw. The idea was supported by other regions of Russia.
In 2012, when similar events were already held annually in more than 20 subjects of our country, in Tomsk such a procession was called an “immortal regiment”. So the name of this phenomenon was born. The very next year, 120 cities of Russia went to the action of such a regiment, a year later the popular initiative covered already 400 settlements, up to a million people took part in it.
Finally, in the anniversary year of 2015, 12 million people took to the streets of our country on the day of May 9, and in the capital this figure amounted to half a million citizens.
This miracle happened because the memory of our heroic ancestors lives in the hearts of our citizens, and also thanks to the activities of the RPOO "Immortal Regiment - Moscow", headed by Nikolai Zemtsov.
Movement today
Today, this organization has not only a holistic structure, which includes leadership, partners, the headquarters of volunteers, a concert activity department, but also seeks to conduct a large educational work among students in the city of Moscow and all over Russia (this is the organization of competitions, lectures and discussions with schoolchildren, etc. d.). This organization has a website where you can find all the necessary information.
You can learn how to come to the parade, how to make a banner or photo from the portraits of a relative - a participant in the war, how to help this organization by becoming a volunteer or by providing material support to the project. Everyone can find information about the fate of their warring relatives, see copies of award sheets and unique front-line documents.
RPOO "Immortal Regiment - Moscow" carefully stores not only photographs and short biographies of soldiers and officers of the war, but also folk poems, poems, paintings, videos created by ordinary people in memory of their ancestors.
Truly, such a meeting is simply priceless!
President's participation in the action
“Immortal Regiment - Moscow” impressed the whole world on May 9, 2015 not only with the number of people who came to this holiday, but also with the fact that the president of our country, who generally avoided noisy public events, walked at the beginning of this regiment, modestly carrying in his hands portrait of father - a participant in the war.
The Western press differently perceived Putin’s appearance among the common people in such a modest role, but ordinary citizens of our country welcomed this decision of Vladimir Vladimirovich. Putin seemed to emphasize that he, like many citizens of our country, can be proud of his parents, who, in response to Nazi aggression, found the strength to courageously survive the terrible blockade of Leningrad, suffer the death of their children, recapture their land and even find strength for the birth of the last late child, which our president became.
The symbolic meaning of movement
The patriotic movement of such a plan is very popular in Russia today. Once again, in our history, our country has encountered a rejection of its inherent values by some Western countries. In response to these threats, the country must not only rally, but also show its strength and greatness, which lies in the people's memory.
Immortal regiment - is the immortal values of our country, consisting in the love of the homeland and fidelity to it. Carrying photos of our loved ones who fought for their country during the years of Nazi aggression, we kind of tell the whole world that we - the descendants of those soldiers - are also ready to give our lives for those ideals for which our ancestors fought. We are one, therefore we are invincible.
The patriotic movements of Russia all unanimously say that such a regiment is a Russian eternal immortal army that can never be defeated by any enemies.