Vladimir Putin awarded writers with state awards on the proposal of the Ministry of Defense

Three out of ten writers who received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland turned out to be regular heroes of publications in MK

The President of Russia, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Defense, awarded the Order of Merit to the Fatherland to nine writers, members of the Writers’ Union of Russia, including the head of the Writers’ Union, Nikolai Ivanov. Member of the board of the Belgorod Writers’ Organization Gennady Alekhin received a state award of the first degree; all others, including the head of the patriotic publishing house, volunteers and literary participants of the SVO, received orders of the second degree. In addition, the general director of the Veche book project, Leonid Palko, became the owner of the Order of Alexander Nevsky. Three of those noted by the head of state turned out to be regular heroes of our publications.

In the list of awardees, consisting of ten names, our regular readers will recognize several at once. Firstly, this is Alexey Shorokhov, who voluntarily became a member of the SVO. He was wounded, continued his service and returned home safely.

Secondly, this is Alexey Polubota, who decided to become a volunteer quite recently. At the end of November 2023, an interview with him was published in Moskovsky Komsomolets – Polubot answered questions on the way to the front line. In addition, Russia appreciated the merits of MK’s regular interlocutor Igor Panin, a volunteer who, together with Shorokhov, initiated a project to help the Bukhanka front for Donbass.”

The orders were received by Belgorod writer Sergei Berezhnov, Sergei Dmitriev (director of the Veche publishing house, which published the anthology of Donbass poets “WE” and an array of books about the special operation), writer and volunteer Oleg Rezepkin, bard from Donbass Vladimir Skobtsov and head of the Russian joint venture Nikolai Ivanov.

Igor Panin saw his order only in the picture. And if the award ceremony takes place on New Year’s Eve, as expected, then in 2023 “there will be no hero’s award,” because Panin is leaving for the LPR this evening.

– Igor, why is it that in the list of writers submitted by the Ministry of Defense for Putin’s signature, there was not a single Z-poet who talk a lot and loudly about supporting the North Military District, but do not go beyond speaking in military uniform and handing over their books to soldiers at the front.

– To be honest, I don’t follow the tours of the promoted Z-poets. I hope they are still doing well. As for the awardees, this was not a matter of one month. The documents went through the Ministry of Defense, we were all carefully checked – who we are, what we are, what we actually do. Let’s say my activities are completely reflected on the Internet, with photographs, detailed reports and travel routes. And my partner Shorokhov actually fought – everything seems to be obvious here. As I understand it, the Ministry of Defense decided to reward not for words, but for deeds.

– So the awards showed who is who?

– Confirmed – it will be more correct. We are not trying for awards and we weren’t thinking about them when the SVO began and we were thinking about how and how we could help. But it is quite logical that they noticed those who do not promote themselves in the special operation, but take part in it to one degree or another.