Everyone and everyone: Russia celebrates the anniversary of the Great Victory

Processions of the "Immortal Regiment", car rallies, concerts and lectures — the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War was celebrated on a large scale throughout the country. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of Russians took to the streets. Many people tried to celebrate Victory Day with their families so that all generations would be involved in this truly national holiday and learn about that difficult but heroic time. The celebration also attracted a large number of foreign tourists. About how the country celebrates Victory Day — in the material of Izvestia.

How and where did the "Immortal Regiment" go?

— My great-grandfather's name was Andrey Filippovich Beketov. He was drafted into the army at the age of 30, and in 1941 he was seriously wounded, spent six months in the hospital, and returned to the front. And then he went missing. We didn't know anything about his fate until the archives of the Ministry of Defense were opened a few years ago. It turned out that he died in 1943 defending Leningrad," says Yulia, a resident of Novosibirsk.

She is one of the thousands of citizens who came out on this day for the march of the "Immortal Regiment". In Novosibirsk, it turned out to be one of the most popular. People carried portraits of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers, including veterans and home guardsmen.

"I came with a portrait of my grandfather, who died in 1943 and went missing," said Zoya, a local resident, wiping away tears.

Many came as whole families, and grandparents led their grandchildren by the hand.

— My son has been participating in the campaign since he was five years old. And it is very joyful that now, after a break, we can all walk down the street together with portraits of our heroes in our hands," said Natalia, another participant in the march.

This year, more than 60 regions of the country decided to hold the Immortal Regiment campaign in the traditional format. Somewhere, the march had to be abandoned for security reasons, and it was held online.

The relay of celebrations began from the cities of the Far East. Processions of the "Immortal Regiment" marched through the streets of Blagoveshchensk, Vladivostok, and Magadan. In Irkutsk, the action was supported by a record 87 thousand people, the press service of the regional government reported.

In the Chunsky work settlement of the Irkutsk region, the longest St. George ribbon in the country was stretched — two kilometers long and 4.5 meters wide. The ribbon was made by local seamstresses. About 3.5 thousand local residents took part in the event, said the head of the village Nikolay Hrychov.

— The ribbon is stretched. Gorgeous weather, festive mood. Words cannot convey the feelings that all the participants of this event are experiencing today," he said.

"Pride for the country, and those who defended us then"

In Yekaterinburg, more than 100,000 people took part in the Victory Day Parade and the Immortal Regiment campaign. Special attention was paid, of course, to veterans. Grateful citizens immediately surrounded them after the parade to congratulate them and express their gratitude.

— I worked on a collective farm when I was ten years old. It was very hard, there was nothing to eat. She was tending collective farm sheep. Potatoes were weeded, carrots, everything with our hands,— veteran Nina Okulova shared her memories.

Thousands of residents marched through the city in the "Immortal Regiment" with photos of their relatives who participated not only in the Great Patriotic War, but also in other conflicts.

— My dad is an Afghan veteran, all his medals are well—deserved. And my brother is a participant in a special military operation in Ukraine, now he has come home for rehabilitation. We have a portrait of my grandmother in our hands, she was born in 1922, restored railway tracks during the war, and was surrounded near Kursk," said one of the participants in the march.

Olesya Stepanova brought a portrait of her grandfather Ivan Andreevich Tarasenko. During the war, he served in the cavalry forces, reached Budapest.

— He was seriously wounded in November 1944. The fragment remained in his head, he lived with it. I am very proud of my grandfather," she said. — We are so proud of the country today, for those who defended us then, and who are protecting us now. Thanks and a low bow.

In Moscow, the Immortal Regiment was held online, but a spontaneous march was formed anyway — already in the morning in the city, people with portraits of their veteran relatives could be seen here and there, at some point they organized themselves and walked from the Chekhovskaya metro station to Okhotny Ryad, shouting "Hurrah!"".

The atmosphere in the city center was festive. A huge number of people gathered on the streets adjacent to Red Square. There were many foreign tourists among them, especially from China, who wanted to see both the entire parade and the units of the People's Liberation Army of China that took part in it.

And although only a few people managed to get to Red Square that day — only the holders of special invitations — hundreds of videos made by foreigners, filled with a friendly, festive atmosphere, were scattered on social networks. For example, the guests from China were struck by the politeness of the Russian law enforcement officers, and also by the fact that some of them (these were members of the tourist police) were even able to communicate with them in Chinese.

Where will the fireworks be held on May 9th

In addition to the processions of the "Immortal Regiment", residents of the regions were also waiting for other festive events — exhibitions of military equipment and retro vehicles, concerts and a field kitchen. For example, in the Leningrad region, a master class on dancing, popular almost a century ago, was organized for everyone. People could also chat with rescue dogs.

A convoy of the Victory March rally, consisting of hundreds of cars, passed through the streets of Stavropol. The artists played out scenes of the war years on special platforms.

— We took the children, flags and went, — said a local resident Maria. — It was great: music, lots of cars, everyone was happy, honking their horns. The children were absolutely delighted.

Even small towns did not stay away from the Victory Day celebrations. So, in the village of Vasilyevo, Zelenodolsk district, local residents staged not just a car rally, but tried to decorate cars in accordance with the theme of the holiday. Some drivers covered their cars with camouflage netting, others wrote wartime slogans on the body, and others painted a St. George ribbon on the hood.

— My wife and I were surprised with what imagination the young people approached this case. There were a lot of participants, and everyone did their best, took their time," Sergei, a local resident, told Izvestia.

On Victory Day, more than one and a half thousand festive events take place in the city parks of the capital, including theatrical performances, quests, lectures and concerts. For example, you can listen to the audio play "The Letter of Victory," a touching story about how Muscovites celebrated Victory Day in 1945.

A fireworks display is planned in many cities in the evening. They will be held in the capital, hero cities and cities where military district headquarters are stationed. Volleys will be fired at 22:00.