The “Eternal Regiment” initiative will be held in 400 municipalities around Russia, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine and Israel. It is expected that more than half a million will take part in this initiative commemorating veterans of the Great Patriotic War. The participants will march in Victory Day parades on May 9 carrying portraits of veterans of the war.
There are very few participants of that war still surviving to this day, but we can help preserve their memory, says Sergei Lapenkov, the initiator of the campaign. He invites people to participate in the initiative with portraits of those who fought on the front, were involved in underground resistance, worked in the factories or were taken prisoner by the fascists. In the case that no photographs remain, participants are encouraged to simple carry a placard with the hero’s name.
No special registration is required to participate – simple show up and join the parade. Although the participation of politicians and officials is welcome, they should not lead the column but rather participate on equal footing as everyone else. “The Eternal Regiment is about personal memory,” Lapenkov stressed.
The Eternal Regiment initiative was first held in Tomsk in 2012. By Victory Day 2013 120 cities took part.
Russkiy Mir Foundation Information Service
