The party in power has grown a fighting wing – Newspaper Kommersant No. 213 (7414) dated 11/17/2022

On Wednesday the office of the “Young Guard of United Russia” (MGER) on the occasion of its 17th anniversary was visited by the first deputy head of the presidential administration Sergei Kiriyenko and Secretary of the General Council of “United Russia” Andrey Turchak. In recent years, there have been discussions within the party about what MGER should do in order to acquire its own identity. And, judging by the past event, the party “youth team” found it in the work in the new Russian territories, where they regularly send volunteers.

Initially, it was assumed that the birthday of the United Russia youth organization would be honored by the presence of party chairman Dmitry Medvedev. But a few minutes before the event, it became known that he would not come to the youth team office. Therefore, the most high-ranking guests were Sergey Kiriyenko, Andrey Turchak and Denis Pushilin, who unexpectedly joined them as Acting Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic. The appearance of the latter, apparently, was explained by the fact that with the start of the special military operation, MGER refocused on volunteer activities in the zone of its implementation.

To begin with, Messrs. Kiriyenko, Turchak and Pushilin visited a small exhibition about the activities of MGER. At one of the stands, clothes with the symbols of the Ukrainian military unit “Azov” (recognized as a terrorist organization in the Russian Federation and banned), as well as its flags and literature, were waiting for them. As Kommersant was explained, all these trophies were obtained by members of the MGER and the Volunteer Company of the Combat Brotherhood at the Azov base in Mariupol. “We hoisted the banner of victory there,” said Denis Berezin from the Volunteer Company (MGER works closely with this organization in new regions). He also told how on Russian Flag Day he took part in hoisting the tricolor over Azovstal, which took him four hours.

Photographs of the destroyed buildings of Mariupol were shown at another stand called “The Reality of Donbass”. On one of the houses, where the ground floor remained intact, there was an inscription that there was a polling station for the referendum. Several photos were devoted to the peaceful activities of MGER – sports competitions, pickets near foreign embassies, etc. “With these actions, we help …,” one of the volunteers began to explain to Sergei Kiriyenko, but then became thoughtful. “Realize,” the curator of the domestic political bloc prompted. “We remind you of the contribution that Russia made to the fight against fascism,” the MGER representative found his own version.

Before Andrey Turchak and Sergey Kiriyenko’s speech, MGER Chairman Anton Demidov called on the stage his comrades-in-arms who had decided to take part in the special operation as not peaceful volunteers, but volunteer soldiers. “We already have 15 people on the front line, and five will be tomorrow,” he said.

Kiriyenko’s speech was very emotional. “I belong to the generation for which the name “Young Guard” is something sacred … From the school bench we were brought up on the example of the guys from Krasnodon,” he began. And this name, as follows from the words of the official, MGER justified. He recalled how he met her volunteers first in Mariupol, when there were still fighting there, and then their own in Izyum and Kupyansk: “They moved to where it is more difficult.” “Almost immediately, from the first days of the special military operation, the Young Guard and the Volunteer Company of the Combat Brotherhood ended up where it was hot, hot at that time,” Andrei Turchak confirmed. In his opinion, recent events have shown that MGER has emerged “not as a force attached to United Russia, but as an independent combat unit.”

After brief speeches, representatives of the “youth team” were awarded various awards. So, Anton Demidov received from the hands of Sergei Kiriyenko the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 2nd degree. A little earlier, less formal gifts were presented. In particular, the young guards were given a certificate to visit the skating rink at VDNKh, and State Duma Vice Speaker Anna Kuznetsova presented them with a large soft bear.

Andrey Vinokurov