Victory Day Parade in Kazan attracted tens of thousands of participants: ‘We preserve the memory and pass it on to children’
Thousands of people from different regions of Russia came to Kazan to take part in the Victory Day Parade
On 9 May, tens of thousands of guests from all over the republic and regions of Russia gathered for the Victory Day parade in the centre of Kazan. Many came with their families, with photographs of their ancestors who took part in the Great Patriotic War, in military uniform, with flags and Saint George ribbons. Read more about it in the report of Realnoe Vremya.
“Let the soldiers return home alive”
The Lomakovs family, Andrey and Yulia with their sons Vladislav and Roman, came from the city of Orsk in Orenburg Region to visit their friends Olesya and Aziz Aikenzhins to celebrate Victory Day together in Kazan. Olesya Aykenzhina's grandfather, Filipp Lobanov from Belarus, also took part in the Great Patriotic War and received awards.
“I never saw him alive. But I know about all the heroic deeds he accomplished. He transported people on a boat right under enemy fire from one bank to the other, and he also transported many tons of cargo. And he was nominated for an award for this. We remember this and tell our children about it,” the woman shared.
The heads of the families are officers themselves, both served. Aziz went through the Chechen War and was nominated for a high award — the Order of Courage.
“This is the most important holiday in our country. I always tell the guys that they need to stand up for the Motherland, like our soldiers in the North-Eastern Military District, who defend the interests of the country. Just like the guys stood up in Afghanistan and Chechnya in their time. I would like to wish everyone that all this would end as soon as possible and that the soldiers would return home to their families alive,” he said.
Happy Tatar
Zarema Zaydullina and Roza Khafizova from Aznakayevo came to the parade with their grandchildren Samir, Samat, Danir and Rinal. The boys carried a portrait of their great-grandfather, Sakhip Khafizov.
“He was a scout. Whenever he went on reconnaissance, everything worked out well, so he was given the nickname Happy Tatar. Dad told different stories. He remembered: there would be a bombing, you look out of the trench — there was only bare earth everywhere, not a soul in sight, and only after some time people began to rise. My father went into the army back in 1939, and from there he was taken to the front. Fortunately, he returned from the war, got married and raised six daughters,” said one of the hero's daughters, Roza Khafizova.
Today, the boys' father, Arslan Zaydullin, serves in the special military operation zone.
“We pray that he returns alive and well,” says his mother, Zarema Zaydullina, with tears in her eyes.
“We will always win!”
Kazan resident Alexey Fedolov came to the Victory Parade with his sons Ilya and Kirill. Their great-grandfather Alexander Fedolov also went through the Great Patriotic War.
“My grandfather defended Leningrad, lost his leg in battle. He returned home disabled. We cherish the memory of him in the family and pass it on to our children. We have a photograph of him, with which the children participate in the Immortal Regiment procession,” said Alexey.
A whole group from Stavropol came to Kazan, specially choosing the date of the trip so that it would fall on Victory Day. The leader of the group, Mila Demetyeva, admitted that they had long dreamed of visiting the capital of the republic.
“We wanted to get to your city with a population of over a million on Victory Day. It is a central city, very large and beautiful. We wanted to see all the sights and take part in the parade.”
“Please take care of the world”
Tatyana Petrova with her granddaughters Milana and Sofia came to the parade from the village of Chuvashskoye Sirenkino, Almetyevsk District. The girls were dressed in soldier's uniforms and caps, and on their chests were decorated with the awards of their grandfather, Samuil Petrov, who had fought in both the Great Patriotic War and the Japanese War, served in a rifle division, and was a regiment commander. The hero has eight children, 16 grandchildren, and 12 great-grandchildren, his daughter said.
After the holiday, the veterans did not disperse, but went to celebrate at the Petrov family's home. “I grew up on their stories about the war. We were raised as patriots! I remember that he always repeated the same words: ‘Please, take care of the peace. Always advocate for peace. I want you, the future generation, to never see war.’ He said this every time. And he also said that you must always remain human. Even the most fierce enemy does not deserve to be treated inhumanely, he believed,” Tatyana recalls.
A group of young people representing different regions, but now living in Kazan, said that they go to the parade on Victory Day every year, it is already a tradition.
“Victory Day is, first of all, memory, and it is needed in order not to make the mistakes of the past, to remember the pain and tragedy, because if you do not remember the hard times, then the value of happy ones will not be so high,” Regina Mukhametdinova is sure.
