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The project is implemented with the support of the Presidential Foundation for Culture Initiatives and is aimed at formation and development of the conjoint historical community of all Russian regions, as well as Belarus. Events of 1944–1945 are shown through the images of ordinary people at the front line, in the rear, during liberation of the USSR’s territories, as well as those of Eastern Europe. Special attention is paid to Soviet youth’s feat in the rear.
“Historical memory is the basis to unite our country’s past, present and future, ensuring continuity of generations and blood ties with our great ancestors, soldiers and officers of the Immortal Regiment, who invisibly stand shoulder to shoulder with today’s defenders of our Motherland,” said Dmitry Azarov, Governor of the Samara Region.
He accentuated that preservation of historical memory is provided, inter alia, by the project “Liberation. The Path to Victory”, aimed at fostering patriotism, forming and developing the conjoint historical community of Russian regions, including the liberated territories.
“It is extremely important for new generations to know at what price the Great Victory was won, the 80th anniversary of which we will celebrate next year. So that every one of us could be proud of the contribution to have been made to its achievement by every Russian region, including the Samara Region, which turned into the forge of the Victory weapons. So that every Russian could understand that solidarity, national unity, the military and labour feat of hundreds of thousands of compatriots both then and now are the key and the basis of Victory, which is one for all,” added Dmitry Azarov.
The core of the project “Liberation. The Path to Victory” is the unique photo archive of the Sovinformburo (Soviet Information Bureau) of 1944–1945, the copyright holder of which is the Media Group “Russia Today”. All photos at the exhibitions are provided with QR codes to get to the page with the unique podcast audio guide “Liberation”, which allows visitors not only to view the exhibition, but also to listen to the information about the events.
As Vladimir Bogatyrev, Rector of Samara University, Chairman of the “Znanie” Society’s Regional Branch, noted, the University is proud to participate in the project.
“Our University and the Samara Region as a whole made a great contribution to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Kuibyshev Aviation Institute (today – Samara University) was established in 1942. It faced the most difficult task of training engineering personnel for aviation industry enterprises in a short time. The University’s staff provided invaluable assistance to enterprises of the military-industrial complex in creating and implementing new design developments, materials, technologies and production organization methods. We honour the feat of our predecessors and try to preserve their memory for the new generation. The Exhibition “Liberation. The Path to Victory” will help viewers understand at what price our people’s liberation struggle was ensured,” noted Vladimir Bogatyrev.
The fact that Samara is one of special cities in the project was also emphasized at the grand opening by Nataliya Tyurina, Head of the Department of Educational and Social Projects, Supervisor of the special project “Liberation. The Path to Victory” of the Media Group “Russia Today”.
“Samara was and is a special city for the country during the Great Patriotic War and for us, the heirs of the Sovinformburo. It is another capital, where the history of our agency began, where Yury Levitan worked. Therefore, it is a great honour and responsibility for us to narrate about the feat of the rear, watching it through eyes of Soviet photojournalists, right here,” said Nataliya Tyurina.
At the grand opening, Petr Kabytov, Professor, Head of the Department of Russian History, Mikhail Chirkov, Associate Professor at the Department of National History and Historiography, Head of the group of the Russian Society “Znanie” at Samara University, Anna Zaitseva, Advisor to the Chairman of the Samara Provincial Duma, Irina Kramareva, Deputy Director for Research and Exposition Affairs at A.P. Alabin Samara Regional Museum of Local Lore, told about the Kuibyshev Region’s contribution to achieving the Victory.
“Remembering the Great Patriotic War, we pay tribute to the memory of both soldiers and home front workers. They did the impossible in the shortest possible time: they set up production during the war and brought it to the level of Germany, and after the war they raised the country’s economy to the unprecedented height: they developed the atomic bomb, the nuclear shield, and became the first in outer space,” noted Professor Petr Kabytov.
“Bright memory to the soldiers who defended our Motherland, thank them very much!” concluded Professor Valentin Pavlov, Chairman of the University’s Council of Veterans.
The performance of the military patriotic choir “Singing Squadron” made the Photo Exhibition grand opening ceremony especially solemn. Boys and girls in military dress uniforms sang songs: “Let’s bow to those great years”, “Katyusha”, “Smuglyanka”, “Victory Day”.
For reference:
“Liberation. The Path to Victory” continues the 2023 project implemented under the grant from the Presidential Foundation for Culture Initiatives. The project “Liberation” gathered the multimillion audience and became the winner of the National Programs “The Best Social Projects in Russia” and “For Loyalty to Science”.
Photo: Olesya Orina
