Pobeda/Победа and the 80th Anniversary

2025 is off to an uncertain start with Trump replacing Biden and a soon to be broken ceasefire in Gaza, while Syrian aftershocks reverberate. One thing is very certain and that’s the very important observance of the 80th Anniversary of the temporary victory over Fascism by Russia and China—temporary because the Outlaw US Empire saved Nazism from its rightful extermination so it could again be used against USSR/Russia. Many Russians see the current conflict with the Empire/NATO that’s using Ukraine as its tool as an extension or revival of WW2 since it’s the very Ukrainian Nazis the Outlaw US Empire saved and succored for decades that it returned to power in 2014.

This 80th Anniversary is extremely important for Russia as many of its remaining WW2 veterans are in their 90s & 100s, and need to be celebrated and listened to. On 15 January, Vladimir Putin held a videoconference meeting of the Russia’s Pobeda organization to discuss preparations for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, issues of perpetuating the memory of those who died defending the Fatherland, awarding the honorary title "City of Labor Valor", implementing state programs to support combat veterans, and preserving the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War. There are many reasons to read what follows for it’s impossible to understand today’s Russia without understanding how they view WW2, the post-war years, and the use of Nazis against Russia again by the West to attain the same goals as Hitler’s Plan Ost, for that’s the genuine nature of the current conflict most are unaware of. The meeting lasted an hour:

Vladimir Putin: Dear colleagues, good afternoon!

Today's meeting of the Russian Organizing Committee "Victory" opens a very important, landmark year for our country. In May, we will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. Its significance in the fate of Russia, in the character and values of our entire people is truly colossal.

As a sign of our unfading memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War and the grandiose Victory over Nazism, as a symbol of the unbreakable continuity of generations, 2025 has been declared the Year of Defender of the Fatherland in Russia.

Defending the Fatherland and serving the Fatherland has always been and remains a sacred task for us. These feelings of love for the Motherland and responsibility for it unite our society. Every citizen of Russia contributes to the preservation of his native country, through his work, achievements in science, culture and education, in the economy and industry, and in the military field creates its confident and stable development in the near and distant historical perspective.

And for all of us, of course, veterans of the Great Patriotic War are an example of unconditional patriotism. They are the main participants of the upcoming holiday. To them, to their needs – the closest, heartfelt attention.

I ask the governors, mayors, and local authorities to meet with our veterans personally in the near future, find out what issues and problems they are concerned about, and ensure their solution.

I also consider it necessary to support the initiative of the Ministry of Defense to grant all our front – line soldiers who participated in the Great Patriotic War the title of "Honorary Citizen" of a region, city or municipality. I know that many people already have this status, but I repeat: every veteran who fought with weapons in his hands deserves it.

And I will focus separately on the decision already made. Today, a decree was signed on one-time payments to frontline soldiers and widows of frontline soldiers, as well as to young prisoners of concentration camps—80 thousand rubles each. Home front workers and residents of besieged Leningrad, adult prisoners of concentration camps and those who worked at air defense facilities, sea and air bases, built defensive structures—55 thousand rubles each.

It is our duty to do everything possible to ensure that the lives of those who saved our country are decent and secure.

This is also important for the younger generations. Children and young people should know what true heroes lived and live next to them, in their families, and should be proud of them, know their work or military path. Understanding its significance for the whole of our country also gives rise to participation in the fate of the Fatherland, readiness to defend it, just as the grandchildren and greatgrandchildren of victorious soldiers–-participants in a special military operation—do today.

Today we will discuss the implementation of state programs to support war veterans. And, of course, plans to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.

I ask the heads of regions, public organizations and local authorities to treat the upcoming events in good conscience. Formalism and the race for numbers are absolutely unacceptable. Memory is primarily about specific tasks. Starting with the selection of personalized, age—and health--based greeting formats that are most convenient for veterans, and ending with honest, interesting and informative projects addressed to the younger generations.

It is also necessary to carefully and thoroughly analyze the state of war memorials, to put in perfect order both monuments, mass graves, and single graves from the war, to ensure their accessibility and to arrange things worthy of the memory of the victorious soldiers.

The semantic content of the upcoming holiday is extremely important. I am sure that the main, basic theme that binds all events, projects, and programs together should be the theme of historical truth.

Coverage of the events of the Great Patriotic War, based on archival documents, eyewitness accounts, and scientific knowledge, is of key importance for the formation of a sovereign worldview, civic position, and self-awareness among the young generation.

A year ago, the National Center for Historical Memory was established to develop a proactive strategy for protecting historical security, and this is exactly what we are talking about, our historical sovereignty. Please report today on what has been done so far and outline your plans for the future, including projects for the Defender of the Fatherland Year, which, of course, is not limited to the May celebrations.

The Great Victory inspired our people to achieve colossal achievements, which provided leadership, real breakthroughs in the country in a number of areas and priorities, including space, the nuclear project, the development of the Arctic, Siberia, and the Far East. And many of the scientific and industrial victories were laid back in the war years at the rear enterprises, which provided the front with everything necessary without interruption.

As you know, 63 cities where such enterprises were located already bear the honorary title of "City of Labor Valor". Today we will consider a few more applications for this high status. Some of these cities still have successful enterprises associated with the military-industrial complex. These are Kurgan, Kovrov, Miass, Verkhnyaya Pyshma. Salekhard, our city on the Arctic Circle, has done a lot to help the front. Another example is the Bashkir Ishimbay, which is 25 percent of the oil produced during the war, 5 air squadrons and 3 tank columns equipped with residents' money. Or Tatarstan Zelenodolsk–-139 ships were built here, more than 4 million artillery shells were created. More than 20 million tons of coal and more than 1.5 million rubles in the Defense Fund were given to the front by residents of Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Kemerovo region.

The theme of labor heroism, the image of a man of labor itself should become another major theme of events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. Recognition of the merits of specific localities, factories – and home front workers is the basis for forming a clear worldview among young people about the demand for labor valor.

This also meets the challenges of today, the challenges of developing the production base, training workers and engineers, and ensuring technological breakthroughs.

Let's discuss all this. Let's move on to the agenda of our meeting today. A word to Andrey Ramovich Belousov. Please, Andrey Ramovich.

Andrey Belousov : Thank you.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!

The 80th anniversary of the Great Victory is a special date for our country, symbolizing the unity of the people, their strength of spirit and perseverance. This is not only an occasion to honor the heroes who gave their lives for the Motherland, but also a time to once again remind the whole world of the significance of those events.

In honor of the anniversary date, the Ministry of Defense is conducting a large-scale set of events to prepare for the celebration. The work is carried out in five main areas.

First. Traditionally, the central event of the celebrations are military parades. They will be held in Moscow and eight other hero cities, as well as in 19 cities where the headquarters of military districts, fleets, combined arms armies and the Caspian Flotilla are stationed. The parade crews will include participants of a special military operation.

As in previous jubilee years, military parades have a historical part. It will include foot columns with front-line standards, battle banners of famous formations and the most distinguished military units, small arms, weapons and equipment from the Great Patriotic War, as well as mechanized columns of historical military equipment.

Military units of 19 friendly countries have been invited to participate in the parade on Red Square, ten of them have already confirmed their participation, including seven countries of the former Soviet Union. Solemn events involving troops will be held in 370 localities. Russian military formations will also take part in Victory Day celebrations in Sukhum, Tskhinvali, Dushanbe and Bishkek.

The second direction is related to the support of participants of the Great Patriotic War. Today, there are only about 7 thousand front-line soldiers in Russia. It is extremely important to surround them with special care, to make sure that none of them is left without attention. On May 9, veterans will take places of honor in the stands. For veterans who cannot participate in the celebrations due to health reasons, personal greetings are provided at home and in medical institutions.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, thank you for supporting the initiative of the Ministry of Defense to award veterans of the Great Patriotic War the title of "Honorary Citizen" of a subject of the Russian Federation, city or municipality.

We also suggest that the heads of constituent entities consider placing personal inscriptions at the place of residence of front-line soldiers and conduct an additional medical examination of all war participants with the involvement of field medical teams and the provision of necessary medicines.

The third direction is the organization of commemorative events dedicated to the days of military glory and the most important events of the final period of the Great Patriotic War. In the period from January to May, they will be timed to coincide with the dates of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the Nazi blockade, the defeat of the German-Fascist troops in the Battle of Stalingrad, the 80th anniversary of the East Prussian strategic operation, the liberation of European states, and the Yalta Conference of the Allied Powers. In June, the all-Russian campaign "Candle of Memory" will be held to deliver a particle of Eternal Flame from the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to hero cities, cities of military glory and labor valor.

During the year, there will be commemorative military-patriotic youth marches to the battlefields of the Great Patriotic War, as well as concert tours of the Alexandrov Song and Dance Ensemble in the regions.

The fourth direction is countering the falsification of history. It is planned to hold more than 20 international military-historical conferences and other scientific events in Russia and abroad. In April, together with the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Belarus, we will organize the III International Anti-Fascist Congress.

We will continue to publish materials from the collections of the Central Archive of the Ministry of Defense, declassified documents about the selfless actions of the Red Army, and publish facts about the crimes and atrocities of the Nazi invaders and their accomplices—Ukrainian and Baltic nationalists.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, following your instructions, the Ministry of Defense has prepared more than 250 original rare documents from the Central Archive of the Ministry for display as part of the historical and documentary exhibition "Without the Right to Oblivion" dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.

And finally, the fifth, but undoubtedly most important direction is to perpetuate the memory of those who died in the defense of the Fatherland. For the current year, more than three thousand search expeditions are planned, the purpose of which is to find unknown military graves and unburied remains of defenders of the Motherland.

In order to unite the efforts of all search teams, we consider it important to develop a special program of searches and memorial events together with the Search Movement of Russia.

It is proposed to involve schoolchildren and students in this work as much as possible. The results will be used in the course of lessons "Conversations about important things", introduce a course on defenders of the Fatherland, participants of the Great Patriotic War in educational institutions. Based on the results of search activities, add new facts and names of heroes to it.

In this regard, I would like to mention the Novgorod search engines from the Nakhodka squad led by Alexander Morzunov, whose experience should be taken into account. In April, the Patriot Park is planned to launch the All-Russian campaign "Memory Watch-2025" with the participation of search associations of the Unarmia, the Russian movement of children and youth, the volunteer corps of military personnel and youth.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, in the course of search activities and archival work, the fate of military personnel who died in battle and in captivity, who were previously listed as missing, is being determined.

We ask you to support our initiative to recognize such servicemen who died in the defense of the Fatherland based on the facts of search operations. The Ministry of Defense will prepare a corresponding order as soon as possible.

Of course, we will support the initiative of the Unarmia movement to put in order almost 6 thousand obelisks and memorials and about 8 thousand military graves as part of the international youth military-patriotic campaign "Return the Hero's Name".

Under the current circumstances, proper care of Russian military graves abroad is becoming particularly important. The Ministry of Defense plans repair and restoration work on a number of large memorial complexes located on the territory of other countries. To perpetuate the memory of the heroically killed members of the SVO, we will continue to work on enrolling them forever in the lists of military units, assigning their names to unarmy detachments, schools and streets, and installing commemorative signs on the Alley of Heroes.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!

The personnel of the Ministry of Defense is fully aware of the huge responsibility assigned to them. It is a great honor for each of us to take part in organizing the celebration of this significant date. We will do everything in our power to ensure that the celebrations are held at the highest level.

Thank you for your attention.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much, Andrey Ramovich.

Please, Gennady Krasnikov, President of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

G. Krasnikov: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, Dear colleagues!

The honorary title "City of Labor Valor" is a sign of recognition of the great achievements of our predecessors in achieving the Great Victory. Last year, the Russian Academy of Sciences received 31 applications from 19 constituent entities of the Russian Federation and seven federal districts for awarding this title to Russian cities.

Our scientists-historians, members of the departments of Historical and philological sciences of the Academy conducted a lot of expert work, as a result of which 27 applications received a positive conclusion. Of these 27 applications, I would like to focus on seven applicants. These are Kurgan, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Miass, Ishimbay, Zelenodolsk, Leninsk-Kuznetsky and Salekhard. During the Great Patriotic War, enterprises of these cities were awarded the red banners of the State Defense Committee. I will focus in detail on their achievements.

Kurgan. The city, whose enterprises during the war years increased the production of ammunition and weapons by 13 times. Among the products produced were shells, mines, hand-held anti-tank grenades, fuses. Four enterprises of the city became standard bearers during the war years. The Kurgan industry is a vivid example of the consolidation of efforts of all the republics of the USSR.

Exploits of home front workers. So, on July 13, 1941, equipment was placed on the territory of the Kurgan Machine-building Plant, Gomselmash was evacuated from the Gomel plant, and on August 26, the first batch of ammunition left the Uralselmash joint enterprise for the front.

Another city where three enterprises were located, which were awarded the Red Banner of GKO, is Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Sverdlovsk region. It produced more than 50 percent of the country's total production of anodic copper, and also operated the country's only producer of copper powder, which is essential for the aircraft and motor industry.

At a rally held on June 23, 1941, the factory workers themselves accurately spoke about the importance of their products for the front: "We know very well that every kilogram of copper, especially at the present moment, is an additional blow to the enemy."

The center of automobile production during the war years was the city of Miass in the Chelyabinsk region, where part of the Moscow Automobile Plant named after Stalin was evacuated. On its basis, in the most difficult conditions of wartime, a new Miass automobile plant was launched, and on July 20, 1944, the first batch of cars was sent to the front. In total, during the war years, the Miass plant produced 6800 ZIS-5 vehicles. Two Miass enterprises were awarded the Red banner of GKO, and Miass Automobile Plant received this banner three times.

Another city, according to the academy, certainly deserves the title of "City of Labor Valor", is Ishimbay, Bashkortostan. The city's enterprises provided more than 25 percent of all oil produced in the country during the war period. Every third tank was powered by fuel produced from Ishimbay oil.

I will also mention three cities that each have one Red Banner of the State Defense Committee in their arsenal. Despite the size and number of inhabitants of these cities, the front could not do without their products. Among them is Zelenodolsk, a small rear town on the Volga River. Here, at Zelenodolsk shipyard number 340 named after Gorky, the construction of military vessels was carried out. During the war years, 117 armored boats, 13 anti-submarine and 9 river ships, and other military equipment were built. The main products of the plant were armored boats, which had on board an artillery installation of the T-34 tank and three turret machine guns. Some armored boats were armed with rocket launchers. In the Battle of Stalingrad, these river tanks were the only means of uninterrupted supply to the Red Army from August 1942 to the very end of ice formation. In addition, the city's enterprises produced shells and aerial bomb cases.

In the city of Leninsk-Kuznetsky in the Kemerovo Region, coal mining was a key industry, and eight of the city's coal plants produced more than 20 million tons of coal to the country.

Among the large urban enterprises that appeared during these years was the factory No. 220 evacuated from Moscow, which established the production of electric batteries by order of the Red Army Department, and the first batch of electric batteries was released on July 15, 1942.

Of course, the front needed not only weapons, but also equipment, clothing, and food. Therefore, it is fair to note the feat of residents of another city – Salekhard. During the war years, its enterprises produced more than 22 million units of canned food, 60,000 quintals of fish products, and more than 21 quintals of food concentrates. The Salekhard forestry plant has produced more than 100 thousand prefabricated fish barrels, about 300 thousand sets of boxes for packing canned food.

The candidates for the honorary title that we present today are mostly small towns. However, during the war years, they took their significant place in the system of military-industrial cooperation, and did a lot to restore the national economy. Taking into account the contribution of these seven cities to the Great Victory, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, we suggest that you consider the possibility of awarding them the honorary title "City of Labor Valor".

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much, Gennady Yakovlevich.

A word to Vladimir Vladimirovich Yakushev, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council, on the same topic, on cities of labor valor. You are welcome.

Vladimir Yakushev: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

From the very beginning, United Russia participates in the implementation of your initiative to award the honorary title of "City of Labor Valor". Starting in 2020, we organize voting in candidate cities, help with paperwork, and process requests from enterprise teams, residents 'initiative groups, veterans' councils, and public organizations. As part of the promotion of applications, we conduct discussions, round tables, quizzes, thematic lessons in schools, car races and other events in the regions. We see that such initiatives bring people together, encourage interest in history, and serve to strengthen patriotism.

In cities that have already been awarded the honorary title, United Russia, together with residents and the Russian Military Historical Society, is working to determine the locations of memorial stelae. As a rule, several options are offered, and residents in the voting process determine the best places. To date, out of 63 cities of labor valor, 43 have such steles installed. Just before the New Year, on December 25, the stele "City of Labor Valor" was opened in Podolsk, and on December 12 – in Prokopyevsk.

Together with the installation of the stelae, the surrounding area is being improved, and we are already getting a fairly large landscaped public space.

Also, in pursuance of your instructions, Vladimir Vladimirovich, given following the meeting of the Organizing Committee in 2021, United Russia has compiled a list of objects in the cities of labor valor associated with the feat of the rear and front. To date, we have fixed 45 thousand such objects, and we plan that all of them will be brought into a standard state before the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory.

Together with the Ministry of Digital Development of Russia and Russian Post, we issue postage stamps dedicated to cities of labor valor. A total of 22 such stamps were issued in 2021-2024. Last year, six such brands were put into circulation. They talk about such cities of labor valor as Vologda, Dzerzhinsk, Kostroma, Podolsk, Ulan-Ude and Chita. On the day the stamps are issued, cities hold official stamp cancellation ceremonies.

The Party has done a lot of work to prepare and promote new applications for the title of "City of Labor Valor". We have collected thousands of signatures from residents, petitions from government agencies, veterans ' organizations, and public organizations.

Taking into account the expert opinions of the Russian Academy of Sciences, which were voiced by Gennady Yakovlevich Krasnikov, United Russia suggests considering the possibility of awarding the title "City of Labor Valor" to seven cities: Kurgan, Verkhnyaya Pyshma, Ishimbay, Miass, Zelenodolsk, Leninsk – Kuznetsky, Salekhard. Among the cities represented, there are regional centers and small towns, but all of them are united by the great contribution of residents to the Victory.

Work on the preparation and promotion of applications from these cities was started in 2020-2021.

On behalf of the residents who campaigned, collected signatures, and voted, I ask you, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, to support the proposal of United Russia to assign an honorary title to these seven cities.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Good. Thank you very much.

We have representatives of the State Duma, who are now participating in our work. I think that I will not be mistaken by a millimeter: all the political forces of the country, especially those represented in the parliament, will support the events that we are planning to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. And, of course, we need to support all of them.

Please, Anna E. Tsivileva, Deputy Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation, with the report "On the implementation of state programs to support war veterans". You are welcome.

A. : Good afternoon, dear Vladimir Vladimirovich!

Dear colleagues!

At the beginning of my speech, on behalf of the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, veterans of the special military operation, and their families, I would like to express my gratitude to the President of Russia for the decision to declare 2025 the Year of Defender of the Fatherland.

In 2023, by Presidential decree, a new structure was created for the first time – the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, and in 2024, the foundation has already begun the time of confident formation and full-scale work. It was a year of unity, care and creation in the interests of our heroes, veterans of the special military operation and their loved ones.

We managed to organize a well-coordinated work thanks to the close cooperation of all responsible ministries, departments and public organizations. Today, the foundation is already working as an efficient and well-coordinated team, a caring team, which employs more than 3,600 social coordinators, including 900 people directly—participants of the special military operation themselves, as well as their family members. The Foundation has become such a real big and friendly family, where there is no other people's grief and other people's problems.

The most important indicator of the quality of the fund's work is the number of positively resolved requests. To date, 1 million 960 thousand requests for assistance have been received, 91 percent have already been resolved, the rest are in the works. The most frequent topics of appeals are the appointment of social support measures, cash payments, obtaining a certificate of a combat veteran, and legal assistance.

But after solving the primary tasks, more and more often questions began to appear that are related to the future of our heroes, who have already been realized as true patriots and defenders of their state. Now they want to continue their service to the Motherland in a peaceful field, and it is important for them to remain a support and protection for their families, to feel confident in the future. Training and employment issues are very important here.

I would like to note that 60 percent of veterans, including those who were disabled as a result of injuries, remain working in the perimeter of the Ministry of Defense. And those who make the decision on demobilization receive new specialties in the fields of IT, agro-industrial complex, creative industries, psychology, law, medicine. We are already launching a training program for adaptive sports instructors and trainers, prosthetics specialists, and rehabilitation specialists. For this purpose, we have an agreement with educational organizations. We also actively organize job fairs in the regions and employ veterans in industrial enterprises. We interact with employers on the issue of employment of people with disabilities.

Among the demobilized people, about six thousand applications were received for education, of which 35 percent were for higher education. More than 65 thousand heroes have already been employed.

The percentage of non-working veterans with whom we interact has decreased. So, in February last year, this figure was 46 percent. We understand that after returning from a special military operation zone, you need time to rest, restore your health, and acquire new professional competencies. But now, thanks to a systematic approach and well-coordinated work, the percentage of unemployed people has significantly decreased and is 35 percent.

I would like to focus separately on medical care. More than 115,000 veterans of the special military operation received medical care in leading regional and federal medical organizations. I note that we try to carry out rehabilitation and send our heroes together with family members. This is the desire of the veterans themselves.

Since April 2024, in all regions of Russia, with the support of the governors, an in-depth medical examination is taking place according to the model proposed by the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation. Within one day with an organized transfer, veterans of a special military operation receive all the necessary examinations, consultations of all the necessary narrow specialists at once. And so last year, more than 45 thousand veterans of the special military operation underwent medical examinations, and more than 55 thousand heroes received psychotherapy in branches.

Social support measures play an important role in our work. This is especially true for those who were disabled as a result of combat injuries. For example, it is the adaptation and conversion of apartments and houses. This includes prosthetics, including highly functional prosthetics that are not included in the federal list, as well as sports prostheses and strollers for adaptive sports.

The main task that we are implementing now is to make prosthetics affordable and high-quality. Veterans should be able to get prosthetics quickly and close to home. A road map has already been drawn up and a number of activities have been carried out on it, including the formation of personnel needs and their professional training.

In addition, thanks to your support, Vladimir Vladimirovich, the list of technical means of rehabilitation includes cars with manual control, which give our heroes a new meaning after the most serious injuries, and often save the lives of these people. And we have such examples.

It is very important that seamless cooperation between the Ministry of Defense and the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation has been established. We help active military personnel and veterans in the "one-stop shop" mode. For this purpose, the Ministry of Defense of Russia has created a Military Social Center, which has representative offices in all regions and regional branches of Defenders of the Fatherland. This gives us the opportunity to provide assistance to defenders and their families, regardless of their status.

Today, the search for missing heroes requires special attention. The Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation and the Military Social Center of the Ministry of Defense have already developed a single mechanism for coordinated actions to address this issue. This work is carried out in close cooperation with the Investigative Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

We actively interact with our relatives. An important support from the state was the Presidential Decree on providing a monthly social payment to the children of missing participants in a special military operation.

It is very important for the relatives of our heroes that the memory of their loved ones is preserved and passed on to future generations. We are actively working on patriotic education and perpetuating the memory of heroes, holding "Lessons of Courage", "Conversations about important things", lectures, meetings with children directly with the participation of the heroes themselves. More than five thousand veterans of the special military operation are actively involved in this work. We also cooperate with all veteran organizations, the Committee of Families of Soldiers of the Fatherland, the Association of Veterans of Special Military Operations, and actively rely on the support and experience of veterans of previous local wars and conflicts.

In the summer, we held the All-Russian action "I Serve the Fatherland", during which about 300 veterans of the SVO became lecturers of the Russian Society "Knowledge". In addition, together with the Ministry of Culture, we provide our veterans and their families with free tickets to museums, cinemas, theaters, and concerts. We believe that social activities, cultural leisure and tourism are very important areas for the socialization of veterans.

Rehabilitation through sports has shown itself well, when defenders communicate with each other, train, reach new heights and results. Together with the Paralympic Committee, the Ministry of Sports of the Russian Federation, and with the support of the regions, the Foundation organizes the Defenders of the Fatherland Cup, a national adaptive sports competition. In March of this year, the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug–Ugra will host the Defenders of the Fatherland Cup in winter sports for the first time. The program will include competitions in cross-country skiing, biathlon, sledge hockey, alpine skiing and snowboarding. In total, about 2.5 thousand veterans are currently involved in the Paralympic movement.

We are confident that both veterans of the special military operation and their families should be more actively involved in the preparation and participation of upcoming festive events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. In the Year of Defender of the Fatherland, we propose to hold a set of events that will cover all regions of Russia at once: "Family Lightning". It will be based on the transfer of traditional values, knowledge, culture, history of our country, their ancestry from older generations to younger ones. Participants will demonstrate not only physical fitness, but also erudition, creativity, and willingness to come to the rescue. The mentors and coaches of the teams will be our heroes of the special military operation, our veterans. The contest is proposed to be held annually.

Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, please support our proposals.

Thank you for your attention.

Vladimir Putin: Good suggestions, we will definitely work through them. Of course, all this deserves support, and we will all work together.

Please speak to Elena Malysheva, Head of the National Center for Historical Memory, about the project "Historical Sovereignty". You are welcome.

Elena Malysheva: Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich,

Dear colleagues!

The Year of Defenders of the Fatherland really unites us all, because everyone in their professional field is trying to make Russia stronger, and therefore more secure. For the National Center, the protection of historical memory is the main area of activity, and protection is precisely in the context of a massive attack by the collective West to discredit our country and to level its role in the world historical process. And the defense of this historical truth is precisely from the position of historical sovereignty, which is an immediate condition for the independence of our state.

Now there is a really great demand in our society for the preservation of historical memory. But it should be satisfied at the expense of our own priorities of historical memory, which are based on reliable information and intergenerational dialogue, by our professional community, whose research will be available to society in very constructive, modern and, most importantly, accessible formats, primarily for young people. The main task in this regard is, of course, to make such work systematic, and this task is set by the National Center. Unite departments, specialists,and civil society around the priorities of historical memory. And, by the way, there are already examples of such work, joint work. This is the "No Statute of Limitations" project, which you supported, Mr Putin. It was from the standpoint of historical sovereignty, relying on facts and evidence, that we were able to give both a legal and public assessment of the crimes of the Nazis against the civilian population during the Great Patriotic War. Decades later, without looking back that we will offend someone, to call a spade a spade and call it the only correct term – the genocide of the Soviet people.

Today, the "No Statute of Limitations" project is already dozens of educational programs, deep scientific research, memorial complexes and actions, the creation of literary works, and there are even theatrical productions, films and documentaries, and art. There are a million people behind all this: children, young people who have gained knowledge, and a society that has formed a consolidated position of rejection of Nazism in any of its manifestations, whether it is a historical retrospective or its modern guise. The unanimous adoption by the State Duma in the first reading of the law on perpetuating the memory of the civilian population—victims of the Nazis--is just a response to the public demand and a real contribution to the historical sovereignty of our country.

The National Center has already started implementing a number of legislative initiatives. By the way, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the victims of genocide, the very civilians who died at the hands of the Nazis, account for most of the losses during the Great Patriotic War. The National Center is currently creating a book of remembrance, maintaining a register of burial sites, and has compiled a map of other memorable places. We see all this as a digital archive, a digital museum of the genocide of the Soviet people. All the information, all the data that will be accumulated here, most importantly-they are available to everyone and anywhere on our planet.

But it's not just about virtual space. In the course of the project "No statute of limitations", a huge database of materials was collected. These are the artifacts that leave no one indifferent.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, we ask you to support our initiative together with the government of the Leningrad Region to create a museum and memorial complex in Gatchina, in the Gatchina district, right next to the memorial to civilians that you opened last year.

This year, this memorial complex has become a place of remembrance and a place of attraction. All this is a complete system of historical memory, which is filled with concrete meanings.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, when you supported the creation of the center a year ago, you set the task of developing a proactive strategy that can withstand external attacks.

It seems to us that such a strategy is precisely historical sovereignty, which at the same time unites both at the level of meanings and involves combining efforts and resources. And the Great Patriotic War (and the Second World War in general) reveals a very important number of such historical priorities, and most importantly, an understanding of the importance of Russia in the world process.

Among them, first of all, the decisive role of our country in the victory over Nazism. By the way, it is not really recognized by the West even in the era of so-called friendship. Or the Red Army's liberation mission, rather than the" occupation of Eastern Europe " that they are trying to convince us of today.

And there are a number of other provisions, each of which, using the experience of communication of the project "No statute of limitations", should become a firm ideological position of our society.

The priorities of historical memory should be based on deep scientific knowledge, this is an unambiguous position. And now, as part of the implementation of tasks on technological sovereignty, a lot of attention is paid to scientific laboratories. But such laboratories are also needed to ensure historical sovereignty.

In this regard, another initiative, already jointly with Sirius University. This is the creation of a special master's program on historical memory, which would be based on the complex and, above all, interdisciplinary structure of this very important condition for our historical security. We ask you to support this initiative, because we are sure that it will mark the beginning of the formation of our own national scientific and pedagogical school of historical memory and will contribute to the emergence of scientific research in this area.

At the same time, of course, it is important not only to create content, but also to ensure that it meets national priorities. And the main thing is to ensure its integration into all spheres of society.

We work a lot with various organizations and institutions that create and store such historical content, including the State Film Fund. Now we have found kilometers of unique newsreels, both ours and the captured ones. Most of this newsreel has never been seen before. We must ensure that this content is available in the public space, of course, on a free basis, so that it can be used both in school programs, on school playgrounds, and by the expert community, and these institutions are not hostages of resources and, as a rule, paid downloading of content.

The National Center, together with the State Film Fund, is ready to start implementing this task and create a visual content storage center that would ensure, on the one hand, safety, and on the other hand, accessibility. And of course, we really need your support, the relevant decision of the Government of the Russian Federation, of course, the relevant departments – the Ministry of Digital Development and the Ministry of Culture. Please give them appropriate instructions.

Another very important point. As we know, the assessment of events and the idea of them is formed at the expense of the space around us. So this space also needs to be formed accordingly. We certainly have monuments and memorials related to the Great Patriotic War, dedicated to our heroes and soldiers, but there are very few thematic territories, and this format is in demand among young people today. The National Center is ready to help the regions in their creation, to work out both the concept and the projects themselves, especially since the Kaliningrad region already has experience in such cooperation.

In the westernmost region of our country, in a very symbolic place, the sculpture park "Saved Europe"will soon appear. This is, in fact, our response to the Western countries that demolished memorials and monuments to our soldiers, thereby desecrating their memory, the memory of those who liberated their own countries from Nazism. It is planned to open this park this year, on April 8-9, the day of the capture of Konigsberg. Of course, we invite everyone.

Historical sovereignty is based not only on the events of the past. As you said, Mr President, it is necessary to take into account the continuity of generations. It is within the framework of the Year of Defender of the Fatherland that the National Center comes up with another initiative, because historical sovereignty is both an understanding of its mission today in the events that are taking place, and those moments, those facts that need to be captured, and captured in reality, in the moment. I mean, of course, a special military operation.

The National Center proposes to start creating a national digital archive of the history and participants of a special military operation. I note that this initiative came literally from the front line, from search engines that are now participating in a special military operation. It is supported by our children, their relatives and friends, who understand that the preservation of a living history is now a prerequisite for this story to be written objectively and truthfully later.

The project is very large, and just like the "No Statute of Limitations" project, it can only be implemented together by joining forces. There is support. We are working closely with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation, the Association of Veterans of the Special Military Operation, and other organizations that are not indifferent to it, which have already started preserving this living memory.

But here, of course, we need the help of relevant departments. This includes the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Digital Resources, and, of course, the Federal Archive. Together, we can ensure historical sovereignty in the future, so that no one can distort the history of today. And there are such attempts, and we are well aware of them.

Vladimir Vladimirovich, in conclusion, let me sincerely thank you as a professional historian for your special attitude to preserving traditional values and historical memory. And most importantly, for the firm position that is a priority for us in understanding historical sovereignty.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much, Elena Petrovna. Thank you, your colleagues, and those who work at the Center for Historical Memory for your work and for the suggestions that have just been made. We will definitely work on this.

Many departments and institutions offer to use archival documents that are also available to them. Of course, everything we do in this area should be based on documents, and this will make our position not just justified, but will clearly show, precisely clearly show, the role and significance of both the Red Army and the Soviet Union as a whole in the victory over Nazism, and will affirm the very historical memory that the Red Army and the Soviet Union as a in the interests of which the Center of Historical Memory, which you head, also works. Thank you very much.

Dear colleagues, we have five speakers, but a much larger number of colleagues are taking part in our work today. If there is a need to add something, correct something, or make suggestions, please do so.

Yes, please, please. The State Duma.

Vladimir Shamanov: State Duma Deputy General Shamanov.

Vladimir Putin: Please.

Vladimir Shamanov: As Head of the Russian Association of Heroes, I would like to say that we will soon have an anniversary date–-45 years since the Soviet troops entered Afghanistan. And a large number of veterans, especially special forces, who took part in the storming of the so-called Amin Palace, are taking the initiative, in particular, to award the title of Hero of Russia to Colonel of Foreign Intelligence, holder of the Order of Lenin Tursunkulov Rustamkhodzha Turdikhuzhaevich.

And the second thing I would like to say. The invisible connection of today's participants in the special operation shows a similarity with the situation that was during the Great Patriotic War. In particular, there is an appeal from Lieutenant-General Vladimir Dyatlov, a well-known artilleryman, inspector of the Military artillery Academy in St. Petersburg, where a group of comrades is represented: today, being amputees, they continue to serve in the Armed Forces. We could pass these documents to Sergey Kiriyenko for evaluation at the state level, so that the comrades who are represented there will be considered for the title of Hero of the Russian Federation.

Vladimir Putin: Vladimir Anatolyevich, please pass on all the information you have, and you can pass it on to the Administration. We will call you and discuss this issue separately.

Thank you.

Vladimir Shamanov: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Please, colleagues. All?

I want to thank everyone for what was done. And a huge request, as I said in my opening remarks. It is clear that these are festive events, but in the current situation they are of great significance for us in order to strengthen our domestic political positions. I mean, first of all, the education of young generations in the spirit of patriotism and in strengthening the unity of society is of great importance. Each of us understands this perfectly well.

Therefore, I ask you to treat all the planned events related to the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, not formally, but in the most serious way. The work should be meaningful and focused on achieving concrete results and objectives that we set for ourselves and that the speakers have just discussed.

Thank you very much and have a nice day. We will definitely keep this work under constant control. Good luck. Thanks! [My Emphasis]

Over the last five years a great mass of documents and other information about WW2 was released by Russia’s National Archives and was mostly welcomed by the world’s historians, those of us who pursue an objective course of analysis. That Rusia has finally decided to stand up and say we Slavs were the designated target of Hiter’s Plan Ost and its genocide, not Jews, and as such Slavs need to right the historical wrong of allowing the West to designate Jews as the only recognizable Holocaust victims. Much focus is on SMO veterans and their families, but there are others who came before in Georgia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, and elsewhere who merit all the accolades and benefits being bestowed to SMO and WW2 vets and their families. It’s also good to see further recognition of those who supplied the front from the rear. IMO, all workers—miners especially—who died while performing their jobs be recognized as war casualties and have benefits made available for their surviving families.

Russia knows what it must do to properly celebrate the 80th Anniversary of WW2’s end in Europe followed by Asia. It remains to be seen how those other nations will treat the occasions. Most of Europe sided with Hitler, which is shown by their current attitude and that of their totalitarian institutions—NATO/EU. Essentially, with a few exceptions they were defeated, not liberated. And then there’s the well-known attitude of the British and Americanas who plotted to destroy the USSR from 1945 onward via their rescue of Nazism. Nazis, support for OUN and other overtly Fascist entities in the “restored” Western European governments, and the use of atomic weapons on Japan to scare Stalin followed by the immediate devising of Operation Unthinkable and those that followed.

IMO, the historical period that began with the Opium Wars until the demise of NATO/EU needs to be considered as one historical epoch with several important episodes that saw the ultimate rise of the Western Empire to its highest point and then its dissolution, which awaits its epitaph. Its story needs to be told from a global perspective, while being as objective as possible. There’re a great many secrets within the overall epoch that will be revealed to most for the first time and shown how they worked in a cause->effect manner to precipitate what happened next as the degree of continuum is clear to experts. Will Trump join Putin on the grandstand at Red Square on 9 May 2025 to celebrate VE-Day and watch US forces march with Russians?

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