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The federal marathon was held from April 28 to 30 by the national public-state educational organisation Russian Znaniye Society. This year, it is dedicated to the 80^th anniversary of the Great Victory.

The event was attended by over 25,000 young people, including participants from abroad. Over the course of three days, 134 speakers addressed audiences at venues across the country: veterans, participants in the special military operation, war correspondents, athletes, entrepreneurs, scientists, educators, public figures, and government officials.

Prior to the meeting, Director General of the Znaniye Society Maxim Dreval made a presentation for the President of the exhibition on the organisation’s historical legacy and current educational projects.

Vladimir Putin also watched an excerpt from the film Not on the Lists, a new adaptation of Boris Vasilyev’s eponymous novella about the early days of the Great Patriotic War and the defence of the Brest Fortress. One of the leading roles was played by People’s Artist of Russia Vladimir Mashkov. The film will be released nationwide on May 1.

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President of Russia Vladimir Putin: Friends, good afternoon.

I am very pleased to see you ahead of such wonderful, bright holidays as Victory Day.

Here we have cultural figures and our very young specialists in the sphere of information dissemination and creating essential – as it is fashionable to say these days – content.

Of course, all the work this year through the Znaniye Society is devoted to this central theme – Victory Day.

This is a special day for all of us, for our people, for practically every Russian family. In Soviet times, this holiday was often described with words from a song – it is a “holiday with tears in the eyes.”

First and foremost, it is undoubtedly a celebration because Victory Day and everything that took place during the Second World War – or, as we call it, the Great Patriotic War – represent, without question, a triumph of our people, a triumph of the Soviet people and the Russian people. Perhaps, above all, the Russian people, because if we examine the losses numbers, Russia, as part of the Soviet Union – then referred to as the RSFSR, the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic – accounted for about 70 percent, 69-something, almost 70 percent of the losses.

That is why we always emphasise this – it is the truth: all the peoples of the Soviet Union made an enormous contribution; no one spared themselves, everyone worked towards the common Victory. However, the Russian Federation, due to its scale, naturally made the greatest contribution to this Victory and laid the most on the altar of this Victory – its sons and daughters who perished defending the Motherland and defending our future.

When I said that this is a holiday for nearly every family, it is true, because such huge losses of 27 million people across the entire Soviet Union – and this number is still tentative – clearly affected almost every family. It is extremely important to use today’s opportunities to convey the truth about the past, in this case about the Great Patriotic War and its heroes, and to convey it both today and tomorrow.

I would like to say the following with regard to this. Of course, those who fought during the Great Patriotic War and gave their lives for their Motherland so that it could live today, so that it remained as a nation, so that new generations were born in our country, they accomplished a feat. In fact, they are still doing it, even those who died defending the Fatherland. Why? Because the memory of their feat is an essential foundation of our entire multiethnic people. This is largely what Russia is made of, because the historical memory about our past and about our today tunes us to what we can and should have in the future.

Only by truly appreciating the price that was paid for our present and our future — by understanding the sacrifices made by our ancestors, our fathers, grandfathers, even great-grandfathers, and grandmothers in defence of the Motherland – can we fully comprehend who we are, where we come from, and what our country represents. It is only through this awareness that we can rightly define our future, set our priorities for today and for the medium and long term.

Of course, in this regard, it is crucial to have both an opportunity and skills to communicate the truth about past years and decades: sincerely, compellingly, and, if I may say so, in a way that truly resonates. This is the only way this knowledge can touch people’s hearts, resulting in each individual — and all of us collectively — creating our common future, while feeling like one people. It is of utmost importance.

Of course, today’s means of communication are significantly different from the ones we had before: perhaps people read fewer books and go to the cinema not so often; I don’t know, probably have to look up the statistics, but this is only a way of conveying information, and it is changing. It is essential for us that modern tools of communication are used to transmit meaningful content to people, as they say today. This must, of course, stem from both our intention and ability to effectively achieve this goal through modern means of information delivery. Crucially, this process should be firmly rooted in the finest traditions of Russian artistic heritage. It is through these traditions that we must shape both the present and the future, I mean the use of modern communication media.

In this context, it is particularly important that today’s generation of artists got inspired to engage in this field, and that they inspire those around them to join in this endeavour – and there are many who can. I have just been shown this small exhibition that gave a glimpse of this potential.

Now, I would like to say a few words about the Znaniye Society. It was founded in 1947 and the initiative for its creation was put forward by our prominent scientist and then-President of the USSR Academy of Sciences Sergei Vavilov. That is where it all began. Indeed, in earlier years, back in Soviet times, the title of lecturer was highly respected and always held in great esteem.

Following its revival, with the new incarnation of the Znaniye Society, its work has progressed quite rapidly and, I should say, effectively. There are already 30,000 lecturers, with an audience of 50 million people. And that’s saying something.

Furthermore, the level of public trust in the work carried out by the Znaniye Society lecturers stands at 80 percent. This is highly significant. I would like to extend my gratitude to everyone involved in organising the Society’s work on this achievement.

Why is this important? Because it signifies that these lecturers were chosen rightly. It means that when people listen to them, they trust what they say and how they say it. This is crucial, both what is said and how it is said are of great importance.

I was very pleased to see military personnel present here today. Just now, one of the participants in the special military operation recounted his work within the Znaniye Society to me. It is extremely important that our contemporary heroes are directly engaging with young people, speaking openly about what they have witnessed, what they have accomplished, and how they assess the events in our country and the world at large. This is an exceptionally important matter.

When I remarked that for every Russian family, the events of the Second World War – the Great Patriotic War – hold significance, it is partly because it affected every household. I am certain that nearly every family, in one way or another, remembers their ancestors: their grandmothers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers – through specific examples.

Today, we must also discuss these matters using the real-life examples of our soldiers fighting in the special military operation zone, defending the Fatherland, as well as the specific examples from the Second World War, the Great Patriotic War. Only then will it truly be met with trust and understanding, truly touching the heart and soul of everyone who encounters this information. Only when it is conveyed from heart to heart, through personal stories, does it inspire trust. That is the first point.

And the second, very important matter is this: when someone tells us – you, me, or the millions of other Russian citizens – about their grandparents, we perceive it as part of ourselves. If my father, if my grandfather or great-grandfather was such a hero, then somewhere in my genes, I have it too. It means that I can and I should. This is an exceptionally important thing. I believe we must preserve this, both on a national scale and within each individual family. Then, without any doubt, we will achieve the results we need – victory – in any field, in any endeavour. This is what I wanted to tell you at the outset.

Now, perhaps, we can discuss what you are working on. If I am able, I will gladly comment or answer your questions.

Let’s start please.

Director General of the Znaniye Society Maxim Dreval: Mr President, a lecturer from the Znaniye Society and a first-year student from St Petersburg State University Dasha Dmitriyeva will be helping me moderate today’s meeting.

Dasha, the floor is yours.

Darya Dmitriyeva: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Our meeting is attended by schoolchildren, university students, young cultural workers, lecturers, and mentors. Regardless of age or field of activity, we are united by our love for our Motherland and our desire to preserve the memory of the feats of our ancestors and contemporaries.

This matter resonates with me on a personal level. During the Great Patriotic War, my great-grandfather Grigory Konarev single-handedly killed eleven armed Nazis in a hand-to-hand combat. When he left for the front, his daughter, my grandmother, fell asleep. When saying goodbye at a train station, he said to his wife, “If our daughter opens her eyes now, I will return from the war.” The train started moving, and my grandmother woke up, and my great-grandfather, having fought through the entire war, returned home.

I think the best way to study the history of the Great Patriotic War is to look at family stories. They make it possible to look into the heart of each of us, just like works of culture.

A film dedicated to the heroic defence of the Brest Fortress will be released soon. We have producer of this film, actor, and People’s Artist of Russia Vladimir Mashkov, film director Sergey Korotayev and leading man Vladislav Miller joining us today.

Mr Mashkov, the floor is yours.

Vladimir Putin: Good afternoon, Mr Mashkov.

Vladimir Mashkov: Good afternoon.

Mr President,

Friends,

We will provide a brief overview of the film that we timed to the anniversary of the Great Victory. But here is what I want to say on behalf of all of us.

Mr President, thank you very much for the enormous amount of work you are doing to preserve the memory and the truth about the Great Patriotic War and for the great attention you are paying to our wonderful and talented young people. Thank you very much from all of us.

We tried to make this movie sincere, truthful, and compelling, leaving intact the language and the plot of Boris Vasilyev, the great writer and his work, Not on the Lists. We very much want the audience to watch this film, to share the depth of our heroes’ emotions and drama and, as you accurately put it, probably to have every young man ask himself, “Would I be able to do the same?” That seems really important to me.

Young actors from the Oleg Tabakov Theatre and students from our theatre school took part in the film. They put in a lot of efforts, both psychological and physical, studied and reviewed a huge amount of material.

That story got under our skin. We are working on a theatre production, which we will combine with the cinema, and show battle scenes on the screen, which is impossible to do in the theatre, and live actors will perform drama scenes. We are looking forward to its premiere in June.

And now we want to show you a short trailer so that you can form an impression of the film.

Thank you very much.

(Preview of the film Not on the Lists.)

Vladimir Putin: We talked about it yesterday, at the initiative of Alexander Lukashenko when we were in Volgograd yesterday. He told me that he had seen this film. He thanked you very much for this work. I can see that it was for a good reason.

Indeed, when we started the meeting, I said that the information about the heroic days of the Great Patriotic War should be sharp, piercing, authentic and true-to-life, then it will speak to the heart.

Of course, such works of art, and they are undoubtedly works of art, pursue this very objective, and they work exactly in the way I described. All the more so that Boris Vasilyev’s works are well known. These books gave life to works of film art “The Dawns Here Are Quiet,” “Tomorrow Was the War,” and others. A whole galaxy of our writers of that time, including Mikhail Sholokhov, created works that still makes up the golden part of our literature.

I must say that everything we know about the war certainly comes from textbooks, it is being studied and may be studied by experts and historians, but the broad public gets acquainted with those events through the creative work of our outstanding writers, film makers, musicians and painters. Now we are talking about writers, including Boris Vasilyev, but, say, where does the majority of people know about the events of the Patriotic War of 1812? From Leo Tolstoy's “War and Peace,” and Lermontov's “Borodino”: “Tell, uncle, it was not a boon by fire Moscow burnt so soon…” and so on. Everybody remembers it from school years, and it arouses interest in the events themselves.

This is why it is extremely important for people of art to be close to those events and bring to us everything associated with the heroic pages of our history.

The same concerns music. It may be the root cause, or rather, the impetus to study it. I mean, for example, the famous Leningrad Symphony by Shostakovich. Then films were made about it, about this music, about how it came about, under what circumstances, and so on. This why it is very important for the artists working in various areas and genres to address this theme.

Of course, this is not the only part of our life, it is much more versatile and richer, and its palette is most varied, I mean the peaceful part of it. We have a lot of interesting and important things in our peaceful life too, things we were proud in the past and can be proud of now, and, I am sure, will be proud of in the future. But issues related to the heroic pages are extremely important. As I have already said, it is, of course, a very important part of our inner world, while the inner world of each particular person and all of us together is, in fact, what we call Russia. Because Russia is people and not just territory.

Thank you very much. I will definitely watch the whole film.

Darya Dmitriyeva: I would now like to give the floor to Artyom Zhilyayev, who represents a dynasty of guides from a school museum in Ivanovo.

Vladimir Putin: A dynasty of museum guides? Are both your parents involved? Who participates in this work?

Artyom Zhilyayev: Allow me to explain.

Vladimir Putin: Please, go ahead.

Artyom Zhilyayev: Good afternoon, Mr President.

My name is Artyom Zhilyayev, and I represent the Children’s Public Council of the school Museum of Victory from Ivanovo.

In our school No. 29, the Museum of the Normandie-Niemen Regiment was created in 1967. It features personal belongings of French pilots and exhibits related to both the squadron itself and the 18^th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. Our museum collection comprises over 2,500 pieces. Additionally, on May 19, we will open a temporary exhibition featuring personal items belonging to Marshal Georgy Zhukov.

I am proud to represent the Zhilyayev dynasty of museum guides. My uncle worked as a guide more than 35 years ago, and my grandfather Sergei fulfilled this role more than 50 years ago.

I would like to propose establishing a nationwide programme to support curatorial activities and the creation of school museums. The most outstanding museums could then present their exhibitions – or perhaps entire collections – at regional venues, whether in local history museums, at the Russia – My History multimedia platforms, or at the Museum of Victory.

We would be most grateful for your endorsement and support of this initiative.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for your work and that of your family members.

I would like to note that school museums represent a long-standing tradition in Russia. To the best of my recollection, the first school museum appeared in Siberia, in Irkutsk, in the 18^th century – 1700s, though I don’t remember the exact year. This is therefore a tradition with deep historical roots. It is extremely important and undoubtedly deserves our support. I will ask my colleagues in the Government to provide all necessary assistance to you and others engaged in this work.

It is particularly important both to compile these collections and to develop comprehensive presentations based on things and pieces connected to one’s local area – be it a village, town, city, republic, territory, or region. This approach makes our shared history more tangible, concrete, and comprehensible for every citizen in their particular locality. This is truly remarkable work. I congratulate you on this vocation and this asset. We will do everything possible to support your efforts.

By the way, you mentioned that initially, 1967 was the year when the museum opened and that it is dedicated to the Normandie-Niemen Regiment, correct? This is a curious fact, and I will try to make a connection to something now, also related to Normandie-Niemen. Perhaps, the overwhelming majority knows what this title refers to. During World War II, despite France’s defeat, French patriots moved to the Soviet Union and fought alongside us, calling their fighting squadron Normandie-Niemen. Some of these French patriots were members of partisan squads called Maquis, and some fought on Great Patriotic War fronts, together with our own troops.

There were other people in Europe as well, including in France. For example, Marshal Petain who, I believe, accepted the fact that his motherland suffered defeat, and essentially collaborated with Nazi Germany. He was the one who formed armed units to fight in the battles of Stalingrad, and later in other sectors.

Let’s not go into details now because it was a complicated chapter in French history. Some believed that the Marshal did the right thing, essentially preserving the French ethnicity and nation, but some considered him a traitor. After the war, he did finish as a traitor. Let’s not go into more details now. The important thing is, there have always been people who shared and continue to share our principles and values — the people who stand with us. These days, some citizens of the French Republic are fighting shoulder to shoulder in the special military operation zone and they have named their unit Normandie-Niemen like their ancestors.

Darya Dmitriyeva: Mr President, you spoke about methods of information delivery. We understand how important it is for younger people to share facts from Russian history with each other.

I would like to pass the floor to Viktoria Agapova, who is a blogger and winner of the Keepers of the History project.

Viktoria Agapova: Good afternoon, Mr President.

My name is Viktoria Agapova and I am from Tambov. I have won the Bolshaya Peremena national contest, challenge Remember!, two times. I also write a history blog on the events and heroes of the Great Patriotic War.

My great-grandfather Alexander Boldyrev was a Hero of the Soviet Union. He defended our country from Nazis in Ukraine and Belarus. He was both a courageous and quick-witted soldier. Once he saved a disabled self-propelled unit operated by his comrades using a very unconventional method. He used his own one-piece coverall to create a dummy for the Nazis to target. In the same instant they opened fire, my great-grandfather rushed to the damaged machine and drove it back to his group, saving his comrades.

My great-grandfather performed many similar acts of heroism along his wartime journey. He inspired me to create a patriotic community where I tell the younger generation about war heroes and their feats.

I realise that it is necessary to speak about the war and history in the language of our younger generation, to make it appealing and relevant. Although right now, it is the most difficult thing for me.

In your opinion, how should we address the younger generation regarding the war, the historical facts and our ancestors’ legacy to spark their interest in studying history?

Vladimir Putin: Viktoria, who told you the story about your great-grandfather?

Viktoria Agapova: My family. My mother told me because my great-grandfather lived to see my mother born. She told me about his visit to the village.

Vladimir Putin: Her grandfather?

Viktoria Agapova: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Amazing. We have discussed this here, and I mentioned that it was very important to pass on information from one generation to another in a family. You just said, “My mother told me.” You love your mother, and she loves you, there is no doubt about that, one can see it right away, and you trust her.

My mother told me stories about the war, but they were sparse, just a few tiny glimpses. Everyone knows them now. I shared them earlier. My family barely survived during the siege, and while my father was fighting at the front, they lost a baby. When someone whom you trust so completely tells you something, their words easily reach your heart, as I said, and it makes you want to do something in turn to keep their story alive, to remember it and pass it on.

The surest way to do that is to remember what happens in our families, and pass it on from parents to children, from children to their children, and so on.

Viktoria Agapova: Through generations.

Vladimir Putin: Through generations, absolutely. What matters most is for the information to be truthful and reliable. But the manner of conveying this information is important, too.

My relatives passed me a letter from my grandfather, which he wrote (I shared this publicly before) during the war to his son, who was in the army. His spelling was awful because he was a simple villager, a peasant; there were a dozen mistakes in each sentence.

However, that did not get to me as much as the way he addressed his son with a formal “Dear Ivan Ivanovich.” Below was an account of how his wife, the addressee’s mother, died. There was a shootout, and a bullet hit her in the stomach, and she was dying in his arms, in my grandfather’s arms. And dying, she said – I have mentioned this before, but I will repeat it again, because it is very important, it refers to a quality many people have, regardless of nationality, including Russians. She knew that she was dying, and she said to him (and he narrated it in his letter): “Don’t cry, don’t make me sad.” In her dying hour, she was thinking about him. Can you imagine? So incredibly simple. And at the end of the page, there was a postscript: “Smash those bastards!” A motivational phrase he addressed to his son. The letter also described many everyday things related to household and other things that were not essential in this case.

My point is that, when you take such things from your family – I took the letter and I read it. I was an adult – I had finished school and university, I worked in special services, I had been an intelligence officer for nearly 20 years, and I seemed to be a well-informed person. I did not expect to learn anything new. But when I took the letter and began to read it, I suddenly looked at those past events from a different angle, in a different way. I suddenly felt the ‘fabric’ of those events, realised how people had lived, what they had wanted and felt, and what they had talked about. This enduring truth is the most precious thing. It must be passed on.

If we are talking about ways to disseminate information in a broader sense, it is certainly important to make it creative, such as in the film that we just watched a clip from, or a piece of music, or fine art. As for me, I do what you do. It all happens in the same way it happens in your family, like with everyone else.

Viktoria Agapova: Thank you very much.

Darya Dmitriyeva: Yes, indeed, we feel this special connection to the past thanks to our ancestors, their memories and their legacy. Those who guarded or guard the Motherland have an especially strong bond to our military past.

Deputy company commander, guards senior lieutenant Sergei Lobanov is not only a defender of the Motherland but also a member of the Russian Union of Writers and a poet.

Sergei Lobanov: Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief, good afternoon, sir.

It is a great honour and joy for me to participate in this meeting. We have just watched a clip from a film based on a novel by Boris Vasilyev. I am certain that it left no one unmoved. Why? Because this story shows the whole truth about trench life. You can’t make these things up. You have to experience them firsthand on the battlefield. You know, Sergei Orlov, a wartime poet of that period, wrote some very accurate lines about it: “I carried these gunpowder-smelling lines in my arms from under fire.”

I am happy to see that this truth is there in works by modern authors like Hero of Russia Maxim Bakharev, Oleg Roi, Alexei Presnakov, Alexei Shorokhov, and many others. This is just a few of the names from this enormous constellation of creative talents born during this difficult time for Russia.

Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief,

We are ready to perform any tasks you set not only at the front, where we succeed by using weapons, but also at the cultural front. Please consider creating a development programme in culture and arts for current participants and veterans of the special military operation.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Thank you for what you have done in the special military operation, and for your creative work.

How many similar cases do we know from the Great Patriotic War? By the way, Soviet leaders tried to take good care of our cultural workers, evacuating them, and so on. This is a well-known fact. However, many volunteered to go to the front and perished at a very young age. Some of them only wrote one or two works over their entire lives. When you read them… Some were turned into ballads. We may think they were folk songs but they in fact were written by specific people. Unfortunately, many were killed at the front. Because cultural workers are also part of our nation that live among ordinary people, fight alongside them, succeed alongside them, and bring victories closer. Because art inspires people.

So many remarkable songs were created during the Great Patriotic War. We sing them to this day, and we sing them with great pleasure. There are also films, paintings, music pieces, and other works of art. You know, these works were created because creative people faced absolutely unique situations, and that experience prompted them to express themselves in writing or in music. I think everybody knows these lines: “River crossing, river crossing, Bank on the left, bank on the right. Rugged snow and edgy ice. Some take glory, some take a dive.” You can see the picture immediately in your head.

This is important. Of course, we will do all we can to support — I apologise — guys like you, talented, young and inspired to help the country and the people around us, those who use weapons but also their talent to bring victory closer.

Thank you. We will certainly think about this.

Sergei Lobanov: Thank you, Comrade Supreme Commander-in-Chief.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much.

Darya Dmitrieva: Now I would like to give the floor to another young talent – my colleague, a lecturer and my competitor in the Znaniye.Lecturer competition, Mikhail Domanin.

Mikhail Domanin: Good afternoon, Mr President.

My name is Mikhail Domanin. I am 17, and I am from Chelyabinsk. I am also a lecturer, as Darya mentioned. I became interested in history in the second grade, when I stumbled upon a series of films about the Great Patriotic War online, The Great War. I was thrilled to tell other kids about it, and even those older than me.

The Znaniye.Lecturer competition was an even bigger revelation when I learned about it. I passed the competition, delivered my first lecture, and now I have a mentor from the Znaniye – Stanislav Amanov, also an historian. And would you believe it? We talk like peers. I am also proud of being a lecturer, and proud to firmly follow Sergei Vavilov’s teachings. I believe that the bigger part of a lecturer’s work remains behind the scenes. Behind each lecture, there are hours and hours of meticulous preparation and sincere enthusiasm about being an educator.

This actually gave me an idea that a lecturer can be compared to a blood donor. While a donor saves lives physically, a lecturer does the same on the mental level, saving our minds, as you noted, bringing knowledge into our hearts, making it part of our soul. I think that people who achieve significant success in this profession deserve recognition, but there are no national awards that would commend such work.

Do you think it would be possible to establish a title or award for conveyors of real knowledge? For example, a Merited Educator title.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Good idea. I have nothing to add. We have many titles of distinction in various fields. But this is a very important occupation, as I said, with 30,000 people working in the Znaniye Society system alone, but in fact there are many more. You mentioned your mentor. What is his name again?

Mikhail Domanin: Stanislav Amanov, an historian.

Vladimir Putin: How old is he?

Mikhail Domanin: As Alexander Pushkin said, his muse still whispers in daylight, his lute still strung for love songs.

Vladimir Putin: All right, but he is an adult, an historian.

Mikhail Domanin: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: Did you notice what you said when you spoke about yourself? You said, “He is also an historian.” I was immensely pleased to hear this, because that means you consider yourself – how old are you?

Mikhail Domanin: Seventeen.

Vladimir Putin: Seventeen. You are a very young man, but you consider yourself an historian already. I do not want to assess your knowledge or achievements in this highly important field. But the fact that you consider yourself an historian is an achievement per se, and a victory for your mentor. This is great. And I hope that history will remain among your interests, even if not the main one, and that you will contribute to research in this field. History is not a science about the past; it is a science about the future. It is a very important component of our life.

I would like to wish you every success. And thank you for the idea, we will try to implement it.

Thank you.

Maxim Dreval: Today, more than ever, our compatriots abroad feel the need to preserve the historical truth. I would like to give the floor to coordinator of the Immortal Regiment movement in Spain Viktoria Samoylova, one of the strong people who were not afraid to speak up for her country.

Viktoria Samoylova: Good afternoon, Mr President.

Viktoria Samoylova, Immortal Regiment coordinator.

Vladimir Putin: Buenos dias, right?

Viktoria Samoylova: That’s right.

Indeed, in recent years, our Immortal Regiment project in Spain has been among the largest in Europe. Immortal Regiment emerged as an international movement in 2013, and quickly began to spread around the world, because it makes people feel united. It is a reminder of their shared past, which included the Great Victory over Nazism.

In recent years, the project’s country coordinators have been struggling with enormous obstacles, but despite everything, thanks to their courage and fortitude, Immortal Regiment events are held around the world, and in different formats. In many cases local residents also contribute their efforts to make this happen.

For example, last year, one of the cities in Spain refused to approve the march, but the locals quickly organised a motorcycle rally on their own behalf, so we were able to carry the portraits of our heroes, including Spanish heroes who fought in the ranks of the Red Army, and the Victory Banner, of course.

In early April, we met with the Immortal Regiment coordinators from 52 countries here at the Victory Museum and planned to hold a broad celebration around the world, simultaneously in more than 100 countries. We will continue to make every effort to preserve historical memory.

Mr President,

Our coordinators wish for a chance to meet with you and tell you about their work. It is quite challenging, especially in recent years. They would be delighted to personally thank you for your support in preserving justice and historical truth. I really do hope that this meeting will take place.

Vladimir Putin: First of all, Viktoria, I would like to thank you for devoting your time and even fighting to promote what you think is right, for your convictions, your deep-rooted beliefs, namely, objective facts about World War II in Europe.

You live in Spain, don’t you?

Viktoria Samoylova: Yes.

Vladimir Putin: There are many people in Spain, and in Europe as a whole, who share our views. A great number. Some are silent; some speak very modestly, and their statements are barely heard. But there are very few people who have the courage, even under pressure from the official authorities, and who dare express their point of view, and not only express it, but demonstrate that they have it, have their own beliefs. This happens for a number of reasons.

The recent developments in European countries – I would rather not go into detail now because discussing this situation would require a separate meeting. I can talk about this for a long time. I just want to repeat what I said in relation to France: they had this collaborator character, Marshal Petain, but there were also others, people like General de Gaulle. Even though Marshal Petain was a WWI hero, he behaved differently in the situation that developed after France’s defeat. In fact, he turned part of France into a satellite of Nazi Germany. But there were also others, who were more like General de Gaulle than like Marshal Petain, who created the France Unbowed movement, and enabled the resistance.

The same thing happened in Spain. We know very well that in the 1930s, the Spanish people fought to prevent a fascist dictatorship from taking over. We know how it all began, with a message broadcast by radio: “Over all of Spain, the sky is clear.” The Nazi coup began. A lot of Spanish patriots fought against it, and the Soviet Union helped fight Nazism in Spain.

Today’s situation is even more complicated. Back then, everything was clear: the white, the black – or brown, let’s say, the red and the brown. Now it is perhaps more difficult. But it is all the more important when people like you have a clear-sighted vision of the events as well as the strength and courage to state it loudly.

I have no doubt that our relations with Europe will be restored sooner or later. I am certain of that. The support of people like you, people who were born and raised in Spain, will help make it happen. On the other hand, there are Spaniards who were born and raised in the Soviet Union after their parents moved to the Soviet Union during the Civil War. We have people to rely on over there.

Still, it is very important that even at this difficult moment, I repeat, there are people like you who have the courage to state their stance with regard to current events, and even to give their assessment of what happened during World War II.

As for the meeting, I will be happy to do it. We just need to choose the time and format. Please convey my best wishes to all those who are working with you to defend the truth about World War II.

Thank you very much.

Darya Dmitriyeva: Mr President, there are individuals among us whose lives have changed a lot since their home regions rejoined our state.

I would now like to invite Olga Pashentseva, an activist from the Movement of the First in the Donetsk People’s Republic, to take the floor.

Olga Pashentseva: Good afternoon.

My name is Olga Pashentseva, I am 17 years old, and I come from the city of Torez in the Donetsk People’s Republic. I am a volunteer and a tour guide at my school’s Museum of Military Glory.

Mr President, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you. Since the reunification with Russia, our lives – especially those of young people – have changed significantly. We now have access to new opportunities, diverse projects, trips, and connections with peers from across the country. I have already had the chance to visit the Artek and Smena camps, and to participate in flagship initiatives of the Movement of the First.

Additionally, following reunification, our cities and schools have been noticeably transformed, thanks in large part to the efforts of sponsor regions. Many schools now have dedicated thematic spaces, zones where students can learn about public organisations, competitions, and various projects. These areas also allow students to register for opportunities instantly through QR codes. However, in conversations with peers from other regions, I was surprised to learn that not all schools have such spaces. I believe it would be wonderful if similar zones were established in every school across Russia.

Vladimir Putin: Olya, first of all, I want to thank you for your work at the school museum. I hope you are not doing it alone and that your classmates and peers are also involved. This work matters a great deal. Not only are you doing something meaningful yourself, but you are also helping others gain access to valuable information – something especially important for our historical, newly integrated regions.

You are still very young, yet I am sure you remember what happened when the current regime came to power in Kiev – a regime that remains in place to this day – and how nationalist ideas began to be actively promoted.

Nationalism, in fact, is the first step towards Nazism. It goes beyond simply loving one’s own ethnic group, it is rooted in hostility toward others. That is the key difference. Patriotism is something entirely different. To love your homeland does not mean to hate others. But nationalism feeds precisely on that – hatred toward other nations and peoples.

Our task is to cultivate love, for one another and for the world around us. That is the true foundation of the universe. Even when we witness events that call for evaluation or judgment, we must approach them with objectivity, guided not by fears or biases, but by verifiable facts.

When you present these facts in the school museum – when you thoughtfully organise and communicate them – not only through drawings or documents (which are essential for ensuring objectivity), but also by using modern tools and technologies to engage your peers, you create a much more powerful and lasting impact.

As for these spaces you mentioned, I completely agree: it is vitally important that everything is transparent and accessible, in plain sight. Of course, where it is possible (which may not yet be the case everywhere, including in the Donetsk People’s Republic, as well as in the Lugansk, Zaporozhye, and Kherson regions), such efforts should certainly be made.

However, this applies not only to these areas, but to the entire country. These public spaces should be used to their fullest potential, both for fostering patriotic education and for sharing useful, relevant information with people who live and spend a considerable part of their lives there. Schoolchildren spend most of their day at schools today, especially considering extracurricular activities. That is why this matter is of great importance.

I will definitely talk about this with the Minister of Education.

Thank you.

Olga Pashentseva: Thank you very much.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you for the idea.

Darya Dmitriyeva: Mr President, today many of us have shared the stories about their ancestors and members of their families. In our country, the words for family and homeland, rod and Rodina, have the same root for a reason.

I would like to give the floor to Yelena Vinogradova who represents the Committee of the Families of Soldiers of the Fatherland.

Yelena Vinogradova: Good afternoon, Mr President.

So many stories about our ancestors were shared today. They are so like the stories of our husbands and sons.

The Committee of the Families of Soldiers of the Fatherland places strong emphasis on patriotic education.

We are a nation of the victors. For years, attempts were made to persuade us that our Great Victory was a thing of the past — and later, that it was not ours at all. But who is saying this? A nation of the defeated, who have lost on every front throughout this entire period. We can clearly see what is happening there. This is why we, mothers and wives, though it can be hard at times and we are burdened by grief, recognise the necessity, the importance, and the timeliness of the special military operation.

There are heroes in my family, too. For example, my grandfather Nikolai Romanov, who was a soldier in the Great Patriotic War. He had 18 medals, the first of which he received when he was 18 years old: a medal For Courage.

My grandfather lived a long and fulfilling life. He wrote his life story down for his great-grandchildren. In it, he wrote: “Dear great-grandson, live in a way that honours the memory of your grandfather, Nikolai Romanov. Preserve and protect the honour and dignity of our family.”

My son follows the words of his great-grandfather. He is taking part in the special military operation. Like my grandpa, he is an artilleryman and has been carrying out combat missions in the Zaporozhye direction since 2022.

Reflecting on the bond between generations, a project was born within our family, entitled “I Remember Your Feat! My Grandfather Stands Behind Me!” What began as a personal initiative has grown into a truly nationwide movement, with thousands of families across the country now sharing their own stories.

I brought a sample to show you.

Mr President, it is very important for the Committee of the Families of Soldiers of the Fatherland that it continues to grow, and that it is introduced into educational institutions and adapted for television formats. We are committed to ensuring that future generations never forget where they came from, as is happening today [in Ukraine], where people have forgotten not only their families, but also their heroic grandfathers.

So please support our project.

Vladimir Putin: Of course.

What would I like to say? The generational bridge you have just spoken about – I also mentioned it during our meeting – is of vital importance. What we feel is very important.

Please tell my what it is called once again, “Grandfather Behind Me”?

Yelena Vinogradova: “I Remember Your Feat! My Grandfather Stands Behind Me!”

We saw on the screen [in an episode of the “Not on the Lists” film] comrades standing behind that soldier. Here [on the cover of the booklet], our grandfathers are standing, continuing the battle against Nazism, shoulder to shoulder, on their own land.

Vladimir Putin: You are absolutely right.

This is an excellent idea and a wonderful project. We will definitely support it. I will certainly look into how it can be done, where, what, and how, because this spark is of fundamental importance. As a rule, work in this format brings the maximum result.

As for your point about defeated nations attempting to distort history — if I may, I would like to say a few words about this. Here is Viktoria, a young lady from Spain. We spoke about France, we can talk about other countries, and Germany often comes up in our discussions. You know, the Soviet Union actually had quite strong relations with Germany in the period leading up to the Great Patriotic War – and more broadly, World War II. They were ideological in nature, and the Communist Party of Germany was one of the most influential political forces in the country following World War I and during the Weimar Republic. Its ties with the Soviet Union were close, and they were the first victims of Nazism. Later, for many years, throughout the Great Patriotic War, we received significant support from these forces – many of whom were tragically eliminated. One well-known example is the Red Orchestra, a network that Soviet intelligence relied on heavily. Its members operated across various branches of Nazi Germany, even within the Gestapo. These were people who, as one historian put it, selflessly served their ideological homeland, the Soviet Union.

When the war broke out, things got so serious, so hard, with the country and the nation – or the nations that comprised the Soviet Union at that time – put on the edge of survival, that other, harsher slogans started to appear, such as posters bearing the words “Kill the German!” The reality had become so brutal that propaganda, too, had to reflect this severity.

Today, when we see German-made tanks bearing crosses in Ukraine, it inevitably brings back certain associations. Unfortunately, there is no avoiding such parallels.

You are right, of course: defeated nations are indeed attempting to impose their distorted narratives. I am sure everyone understands why but nevertheless let me say this.

Of course, we are a nation of the victors, a nation in a broad sense of the word, and when I say “nation,” I mean all the peoples and ethnic groups of the former Soviet Union, and Russia, too.

But we should also speak of the generation of the victors – and of the International of the victors. Today, we need such an International more than ever. We must engage with those abroad – in Europe, in North America – who share our vision. There are many of them, and it is vital that we join forces.

However, at the heart of our Victory, first and foremost, lie the feats of our people. And we, being Russians, Tatars, Jews, Mordvins, Chechens, Daghestanis – whoever we are – we should speak about this in the first place.

Why are representatives of another International – a brown International, so to speak – are so determined to support neo-Nazism, particularly in Ukraine, and to erase the memory of our people’s heroic deeds, of the feats of our ancestors, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers? Because to erase that memory is to weaken us. When we lose historical memory, we lose identity, too. And with that, a nation begins to lose its inner strength and unity. A nation without a past has no future. The attempt to weaken and dissolve us into some amorphous, unanchored state is not a coincidence, but rather deliberate work aimed directly against Russia and the peoples of the Russian Federation.

Your work and your project definitely aim to prevent these attacks and actually, strengthen our unity, preserve our historical consciousness, our identity – and through it, our internal sovereignty.

We will certainly support your project. Thank you very much.

Maxim Dreval: A significant part of historical truth is preserved in archives. I would now like to give the floor to Artyom Beloglazov, a professional historian with deep expertise in working with archival materials.

Artyom Beloglazov: Hello, Mr President.

My name is Artyom Beloglazov. I am a historian specialising in historical and archival analysis, and I have been actively involved for some time in the project Without a Statute of Limitations.

I am deeply concerned about a critical issue – the lack of international recognition of the genocide committed against the Soviet people.

In Russia, 34 judicial proceedings have officially recognised the atrocities the Nazis committed in the occupied territories of the USSR as acts of genocide against the Soviet people. A huge number of documents have been declassified, revealing the horrific nature of the war waged by Nazi Germany against our people.

However, it is still common to hear on the international stage that the methodical extermination of our compatriots does not qualify as genocide.

Take, for example, the siege of Leningrad, a deliberate and premeditated act of genocide by the Nazis, during which over a million Soviet citizens perished, most of them from starvation. Yet, it is being translated into foreign languages as “the siege of the city,” a description that significantly distorts the true nature of the crime.

My colleagues from the National Centre for Historical Memory and I developed an exhibition titled The Siege of Leningrad – Genocide of the Soviet People during the Great Patriotic War, in which we called events by their true names. This exhibition has been presented in Moscow, St Petersburg, and at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery. It has also reached the international stage, including a presentation at the UN Security Council, and will soon be displayed in Geneva to shed light on what our compatriots truly endured.

Mr President, how do you personally respond to certain countries’ ongoing attempts to rewrite the history of the Great Patriotic War? What measures can we take to counter the falsification of history, particularly among the younger generation? And what prospects do you see for achieving international recognition of the genocide committed against the Soviet people?

Vladimir Putin: First and foremost, we base our position on the decisions and conclusions of the Nuremberg Trials, where everything was clearly defined and called by its proper name. Today, there are ongoing efforts to forget, suppress, or distort those truths. Our official institutions, including the Foreign Ministry, continue to address this issue consistently. However, lasting success in this effort depends on the active involvement of people like you – those gathered here today – and your opinion allies across the country who continue to raise these issues.

This work is far from futile. It is not about searching for enemies in the past, but about conveying to ourselves, our people, and to the world the true realities of those historical events. These truths help explain much of our present-day behaviour. That context is crucial and has real, practical significance. I can say this with confidence, because even some of my foreign counterparts – even those who, to put it mildly, do not always support our actions to defend our interests – have acknowledged the immense suffering endured by the Soviet Union and its people. They admit that, in light of that history, we have every right to think seriously about protecting our national interests and ensuring our long-term security. This is why we must continue this work, both through state institutions and through public initiatives. I fully support the projects mentioned here today, and everything we have been discussed here.

Only by working together can we achieve the results we seek. Let us continue our work.

Artyom Beloglazov: Thank you.

Darya Dmitriyeva: Mr President, we can see that today the entire country is helping the war effort, like during the Great Patriotic War. I believe that the desire to help is a trait that lies not just in the cultural, but in the genetic code of our people.

I would like to give the floor to Angelina Uzhikovskaya, a volunteer and student at Kursk State University.

Angelina Uzhikovskaya: Good afternoon, Mr President.

First of all, let me congratulate us all on the long-awaited liberation of the Kursk Region from the occupation by Ukrainian military units. Thank you very much for the comprehensive state support provided to temporarily displaced people.

From the very first day of the invasion, I myself joined the efforts of the Young Guard of United Russia to support those affected. We worked in temporary accommodation centres, humanitarian hubs, and warehouses. Volunteers from across the country came to the Kursk Region to lend a hand. Some of them undertook exceptionally difficult and dangerous tasks, such as the evacuation of civilians from occupied areas. Sadly, not all of them made it back.

Mr President, the volunteer movement in the Kursk Region has become a powerful symbol of national unity. In light of this, I would like to ask you to consider establishing a memorial in my home region, dedicated to the volunteers who have contributed to the special military operation.

Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: First of all, I would like to thank you and all those who worked and continue to work during these challenging times. The situation is far from over. Yes, the enemy has been driven out of the Kursk Region, but some still remain hiding in basements and holes. We can hear their radio chatter: they are asking for evacuation. I will not go into detail, but evacuation is impossible, because these are isolated units of two or three individuals, cut off and in hiding in remote thickets and holes.

They are offered the chance to surrender. In fact, some have already been captured and sent back to deliver a message to their comrades: lay down your arms. This has happened not once, the most recent occasion was just a few days ago.

As for the volunteers – you know, in many ways they work like search units. And while volunteer movement is a global phenomenon, here in Russia it takes on a unique character. Our people are different. Even the youngest among us – those at the dawn of their lives – are deeply driven by a sense of duty, by responsibility and a clear understanding of the value of their contribution. They work tirelessly for this.

I want to address you directly, though I hope your colleagues will also hear me: please, work with the utmost caution. Sadly, we know that there have been casualties among volunteers. We will do everything we can to support you.

You suggested creating a memorial? We will do so.

Angelina Uzhikovskaya: Thank you very much.

Maxim Dreval: Mr President, I know you have a very busy schedule, but would you have time to hear from one more participant?

Vladimir Putin: Let us go ahead.

Darya Dmitriyeva: Today we are joined by a young poet, Nikita Gogolev.

Nikita Gogolev: Good afternoon, Mr President.

My name is Nikita Gogolev, I am 13 years old, and I am from Pyatigorsk in the Stavropol Territory.

There is something that connects all people. For instance, I also practice judo and was born in October – just like you. Today, much like our ancestors once did, we are united by a common cause: to defend our Motherland, each contributing in their own way. I write poetry, and I believe that creativity plays an important role in helping us remember what truly matters.

If I may, I would like to share a passage from a poem I wrote in honour of the 80^th anniversary of the Great Victory.

Vladimir Putin: Please do.

Nikita Gogolev: I can hear the fanfare of Victory, like my great-grandfather once did.

Young men march through Red Square with orchestra, much like the soldiers of our Victory did in 1945.

Our great-grandfathers are proud of them, and we fear no enemy. Young heroes in the ranks, and Russia behind them.

There is no doubt that we will prevail again, and victory will be ours.

The enemy will be defeated again, and salutes, the symbols of the Great Victory, will light up the peaceful sky above us.

(Applause.)

Mr President, meeting you has been a long-held dream of mine. Thank you.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you very much. I sincerely hope you will continue to… Please, have a seat.

Nikita Gogolev: Mr President, I was born and raised in the Caucasus. Where I come from, it is customary for the younger generation to stand when speaking to their elders.

Vladimir Putin: Very well. The Caucasus is rich in its own traditions, and we hold them in high regard. These customs play a significant role in shaping the strong character of the people who live in that wonderful region of our country.

I want to wish you continued success in your creative journey. I truly hope you keep moving forward along this path. What we have heard from you today is genuinely impressive.

How old are you?

Nikita Gogolev: I am 13.

Vladimir Putin: Thirteen years old – so young, and yet you are already creating such patriotic work, and reciting it so eloquently. I would really like to see your poetry shared more broadly. I will think about how we might help spread the word about your works not only among your peers, but also across the country. Thank you for your thoughtful contribution.

What do your parents do?

Nikita Gogolev: My mother is an economist. She also used to write poetry and helped me a lot when I was just starting out.

Vladimir Putin: Did you hear how he put that – “when I was just starting out”? That means he no longer sees himself as a beginner. He already feels like a poet, a writer in his own right.

I wish you all the best. Thank you very much, and please send my warm regards to your mother.

Nikita Gogolev: Thank you very much. I will definitely do that.

Vladimir Putin: Thank you.

I would like to thank all of you for today’s meeting and wish you success. As you may have noticed, I took note of many of the important points raised during our conversation.

The topic we have discussed today is well understood by all of us. It is not only important in its own right, but it also opens the door for a broader conversation about how we live, what we are doing, and what else we can do to improve our lives. It prompts us to reflect on key directions for the country’s development.

I have taken note of everything you have shared and will take it into account as I plan my own work, as well as in coordination with my colleagues in the Government, the Presidential Executive Office, and regional leaders, including those from the Caucasus.

Thank you once again. I wish you all the best and extend my warm congratulations ahead of the upcoming holiday – Victory Day!

Thank you.