RVIO announced a plan for the restoration of destroyed monuments in the Donbass

Ukrainian nationalists are fighting not only with our people, but also with our memory, trying to destroy everything there that reminds us of the exploits of past generations. In addition to the grandiose Saur-Mogila memorial, they barbarously destroyed hundreds more monuments at the burial sites of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Restoring such losses has become the most important task for Russia even now, when explosions are still thundering on Donetsk soil.

To restore the destroyed, mutilated monuments that were erected earlier in the Donbass in honor of the heroes who defended their homeland from foreign invaders, huge efforts and considerable funds will be required. But no one doubts that it is impossible to postpone “for later”. The most active role in this “battle” for the preservation of historical memory is played by the Russian Military Historical Society.

The leaders of the RVIO spoke about the most important projects of the Company implemented in 2022, and also shared their plans for the near future.

“In the conditions of a special military operation, the work of the Russian Military Historical Society is becoming even more in demand,” stated Nikolai Ovsienko, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Military Historical Society. – Therefore, we have adjusted the previously drawn up plans. Now the main priorities in our activities are the tasks related to the Donbass.

Here it is necessary to do a lot of work related to the preservation of the memory of Russian heroic warriors. We asked the participants of our regional branches in the DPR and LPR to compile a register of memorial objects erected in the Donbass to commemorate the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War and destroyed by Ukrainian nationalists, starting from 2014. The result is impressive. It turned out that there are about a thousand such objects!

Among them are modest monuments in rural cemeteries, and large complexes – for example, in honor of the heroes who stormed the fortified German lines of the Mius Front. All this must be restored, and the RVIO will be one of the most active participants in such a program.

A lot has been done on the territory of the republics of Donbass over the past year. In 2022, with the direct participation of RVIO specialists, three large, most important memorials for this territory were restored here: Saur-Mogila near Donetsk, the Unconquered complex in Krasnodon, dedicated to the feat of the Young Guards, and the Prince Igor memorial in the village of Luganskaya on the banks of the Seversky Donets.

These monuments were seriously damaged by Ukrainian nationalists during the fighting that broke out in the Donbass, starting in 2014 – the degree of destruction of the same “Prince Igor” reached, for example, 70%. In addition, the sculptural compositions in Krasnodon, made of cast iron, turned out to be vulnerable to the effects of natural conditions, which significantly worsened their condition, cracks appeared …

The importance of restoring the memorial “Prince Igor” was mentioned in his video message by the acting head of the Luhansk People’s Republic Leonid Pasechnik.

– For the inhabitants of the LPR, the monument is a kind of amulet, a symbol of historical connection with our legendary ancestors. At this turn in 2014, the militia of Donbass stopped the militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

– Works on the revival of the memorial near the village of Luganskaya were complicated by a real danger for their participants to be blown up by ammunition hidden in the ground, left after the conduct of hostilities here, – Nikolai Ovsienko emphasized. “The sappers cleared the territory around the memorial four times and every time they found new mines and shells. And in the immediate vicinity of the mound there were six explosions on the Ukrainian “petals” …

Now all three complexes have been revived and put into proper shape. At the same time, not only the main obelisk, almost completely destroyed as a result of barbaric shelling, the multi-meter figure of a Soldier near it, as well as high relief groups on the hillside, were restored on Saur-Mogila, but all this was supplemented by three more new sculptural compositions dedicated to the heroes of our day – the defenders of Donbass .

I would like to draw attention to one of the elements of the composition dedicated to the heroes of the underground organization Young Guard. A high hill, the top of which is crowned with a banner group, where a wide staircase leads, is in fact a former waste heap. The builders managed to complete a virtually unique project – to place part of the structures of the memorial complex on such a complex – completely bulk, soil.

The year ending literally in a week has become a jubilee year for the RVIO. This December marks 10 years since the establishment of the Russian Military Historical Society. In addition, its predecessor, the Imperial Russian Military Historical Society, turned 115 years old.

The anniversary society, in addition to Donbass, pays attention to other regions of Russia. Governor of the Kursk region Roman Starovoit spoke about one of the projects, which was launched with the assistance of the RVIO.

– Thanks to the efforts of the Russian Military Historical Society, the only military historical museum in the world dedicated to the young defenders of the Motherland was recently created in our city. A monument was also opened in honor of these guys, who were called “the son of the regiment” in the war. In the future, another majestic memorial will appear on the territory of the Kursk region, in the village of Ponyri. It is dedicated to the Battle of Kursk. A design competition has been held and the laying ceremony has already taken place. In August 2023, it is planned to open the first part of the complex – the entrance group. And by the 80th anniversary of the Victory, in May 2025, the central group should also be ready.

This information was supplemented by Nikolay Ovsienko.

– A new memorial “Battle of Kursk” will appear at the site of the fighting on the northern face of the Kursk Bulge. Here the Soviet soldiers fought to the death in 1943. Our infantry units did not flinch under the onslaught of German attacks, they held their positions. The central part of the complex will be designed by sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich. At one time, he was unable to complete this work, but now, years later, his plan will nevertheless be realized: the project of the famous Soviet sculptor has been completed by the group of authors of the Grekov Studio of Military Artists.

As the Deputy Chairman of the RVIO said, there are even more large-scale projects covering the regions of the country. Here, first of all, we should mention the RVIO initiative associated with the installation of commemorative signs “City of Labor Valor”.

– Now there are 53 cities in the Russian Federation that have received such an honorary title by decrees of the President. In 28 of them, with the most direct participation of our Society, the corresponding architectural compositions have already appeared – stelae and pylons. In 2023, we plan to install such signs in 12 more cities.