Memorial event "Immortal Regiment"

In 2012, on the initiative of a media group of journalists from Tomsk, an unusual event took place on May 9 More than 6,000 residents walked through the city in honor of Victory Day, carrying portraits of 2,000 veterans of the Great Patriotic War The march marked the beginning of the development of a historical and patriotic movement throughout the country, which received the symbolic name “Immortal Regiment” The civil initiative is aimed at preserving the memory of the generation of ancestors who went through the war For this purpose, their grateful descendants take to the streets of cities and villages and march with portraits of veterans Thus, every year on May 9, the “Immortal Regiment” memorial event is held in Russia and abroad The motto of the movement, which in a short time has become a popular tradition for celebrating May 9, is the lines: “They must march in victorious formation at all times” The quote is taken from a poem by journalist O Shkvarkov from Nizhny Tagil The official symbol of the action is a crane soaring in the sky against the backdrop of a five-pointed star installed on a soldier’s grave The movement's logo refers to the legendary song-requiem by Ian Frenkel, written to the poems of Rasul Gamzatov "Cranes" performed by Mark Bernes is a funeral anthem, a heartbreaking mournful song for those who died on the battlefields The historical-patriotic movement has its representatives and headquarters in all regions of the country In addition to coordinating actions and organizing the procession on May 9, the Immortal Regiment is compiling a chronicle - recording the life stories of front-line soldiers and other witnesses of the war on its own website The pages of the portal contain thousands of family archives with photographs that help in finding information about people who lived in the difficult years of 1941-1945, and about their living relatives The heroes of the "People's Chronicle of the Immortal Regiment" are army and navy veterans, underground fighters, partisans, resistance fighters, blockade survivors, concentration camp prisoners, home front workers and children of war The geography of the Immortal Regiment is expanding year by year The action has long since become international from a nationwide one On May 9, 2019, residents of more than 110 countries took to the streets of populated areas with banners containing portraits of people who took part in the war Self-isolation and other Covid-related difficulties did not stop participants in the movement in 2020 For 3 weeks, portraits of veterans were broadcast online Thanks to this, the faces of the heroes were seen by more than 25 million people in 97 countries The theme of memory of the feat of the peoples of the USSR in the battle with Nazi Germany is more relevant today than ever The historical-patriotic movement includes lessons in courage in schools and processions with portraits of defenders of the Fatherland along the central streets and historical parts of cities in Russia, Belarus, Canada, Argentina, Mauritania, the USA, France, Italy and other countries Thus, on May 9, the “Immortal Regiment” campaign is held annually on a truly global scale