Common destiny. Archivists and diplomats discussed the preservation of historical memory | History | Society
Issues of preserving the historical memory of those killed in the Great Patriotic War were discussed at a scientific and practical conference at the Presidential Academy. The event took place in Moscow at the Institute of Public Service and Management (IGSU) of the Presidential Academy. The organizers of the conference on the topic “Preserving the historical memory of those who died in defense of the Fatherland: methodology of archival research work” were IGSU together with the ANO “Rodina”. Representatives of legislative and executive authorities, the diplomatic corps, traditional religious denominations, the scientific community, as well as youth and public organizations discussed various aspects of caring for the memory of those killed in the Great Patriotic War, spoke about how search work and interaction are going on these days. international level. Presentations were made by representatives of the Central Archive of the Russian Ministry of Defense, the State Duma, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, the Prosecutor’s Office, the non-profit foundation “Heritage of Eurasia”, the “Ritual” service, the organizations “Immortal Regiment of Russia” and “We Remember Everyone by Name”, as well as experts and representatives public organizations.
Search methodology
Opening the conference, and… O. Director of the Institute of Public Service and Management (IGSU) of the Presidential Academy Ruslan Korchagin recalled that the Great Patriotic War ran like a red thread through the history of the peoples of the Soviet state and the states of Eastern Europe, uniting people of different nationalities and religions in the face of threat.
“To this day we hear its echoes in unresolved issues: thousands of military graves in Russia and abroad have not been certified, the legal status of more than 2.5 million Red Army soldiers who went missing has not been settled, more than 5.5 million Red Army soldiers are buried as unknown. To complete the work only abroad, where more than 2 million people are considered missing, a huge amount of work will be required, and we consider the involvement of the Presidential Academy in it very important,” said Ruslan Korchagin.
Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia Olga Petrova, who took part in the forum via video link, noted that knowledge of the true facts about the Great Patriotic War is very important for the younger generation. She thanked the Presidential Academy for educational activities and participation in the development of the course “Fundamentals of Russian Statehood”, an integral part of which is the topic of historical memory.
Deputy Head of the Synodal Department of the Russian Orthodox Church for interaction with the Armed Forces and Law Enforcement Agencies Oleg Ovcharov spoke about the participation of the Russian Orthodox Church in activities to perpetuate the memory of the victims. Mufti Sheikh Ravil Gainutdin supported the importance of this work by sending a welcoming speech to the forum participants.
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee of the Russian Federation on the development of civil society, issues of public and religious associations, Chairman of the Central Headquarters of the All-Russian public movement “Volunteers of Victory” Olga Zanko spoke about the project “Without a Statute of Limitations,” whose participants are compiling Russia’s first register of memorial sites dedicated to civilians who died at the hands of the Nazis. “More than 1,300 such places have already been identified in 28 constituent entities of Russia, and this work continues,” the deputy said. She noted that in recent years a number of laws and amendments to them have been adopted, reflecting the real problems of search operations and facilitating the search for the dead and missing. But some issues, in her opinion, still require new legislative initiatives. “Relatives’ access to burials in private areas has not yet been regulated. There is also no legislative regulation of the issue of genocide of civilians during the war. We still have to work on this,” the deputy said.
Its chairman spoke about the work of the autonomous non-profit organization (ANO) “Rodina”, which is engaged in the accumulation and processing of archival information about the defenders of the Fatherland, improving the methodology of search work and establishing the fate of the missing. Igor Pigalchuk.
“The main goal of the ANO Rodina is to unite the efforts of people connected by a common cause, who can rightfully be called experts in archival search, and the implementation of projects to perpetuate the memory of those who died in defense of the Fatherland, as an important component of the extensive work to preserve historical memory that is now is being carried out everywhere,” Pigalchuk said. He said that specialists from the Rodina ANO train those who are ready to participate in this work throughout the country, as well as about implemented projects in Khimki, Solnechnogorsk, Mytishchi and Dolgoprudny near Moscow. Igor Pigalchuk emphasized that the work of specialists from the Rodina ANO is not limited to our country. Projects have already been implemented in cooperation with Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Serbia, and the Czech Republic.
Representative of the Department for perpetuating the memory of those killed in defense of the Fatherland of the Russian Ministry of Defense, mentor of the Rodina ANO, author of scientific articles, methodological recommendations and manuals in the field of perpetuating the memory of those killed Alexey Tryakin spoke about a large-scale search project related to establishing the fates of the missing and the names of soldiers who died in defense of the Fatherland. Its component part is an advanced training course under the program of additional professional education “Perpetuating the memory of those killed in defense of the Fatherland” and an educational online course “Methodology of documentary search work.” Tryakin also presented the products “Digital Register” and “Electronic Library of Fates”, designed to systematize data from various sources. The purpose of this work is to create a unified state center for searching for the dead.
Fighting oblivion
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Russia Dauren Abaev said that “memory deterioration” and a fragmented understanding of history is a diagnosis of our time, ultimately leading to a loss of identity. According to the diplomat, the topic of the Great Patriotic War is extremely significant for the history of our peoples, because there is not a single family that was not affected by the war.
Dauren Abaev recalled that every fifth resident of Kazakhstan (which is more than one million people) went to the front during the Great Patriotic War. Kazakh soldiers defended Moscow and Leningrad, fought near Rzhev, liberated Europe, and stormed Berlin. About 600 thousand of them died on the battlefields, another 270 thousand were missing.
“The remains of thousands and thousands of our grandfathers are buried in mass graves from the Volga to the Spree. It is gratifying that in our countries the work to search for those who died for the Fatherland, as well as memorial activities, are actively developing. This work is only possible through joint efforts. After all, both the feat and the victory were common. Historians, archaeologists, archive workers, museum workers, volunteers of search teams – all of you are implementing the most important public mission – fighting oblivion. The war is not over until the last soldier is buried,” the ambassador emphasized.
On the sidelines after the conference, the diplomat said that every year from May to November, almost every month from Russia to Kazakhstan, the military aircraft of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic transfer the remains of Kazakh soldiers found by search engines for reburial in their homeland. Solemn mourning ceremonies are held with military honors.
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation, Director of the L. N. Tolstoy International Peace Prize Foundation Doku Zavgaev spoke about systematic historical and memorial work to search for fallen soldiers abroad.
“Each employee of our embassy in Slovenia was assigned a number of cities and towns and each established contacts with veterans and other public organizations that were also interested in this work. At each monument to those killed in the First and Second World Wars, we held annual mass events, looked at their national composition, clarified the lists of those killed by name, and carried out search work,” Zavgaev explained.
The diplomat spoke about holding international conferences and other public events on anti-fascist topics. In particular, about how, at the height of anti-Russian sanctions in connection with the annexation of Crimea, a common monument to all those who died in the world wars of the last century was unveiled in Ljubljana. According to him, ceremonial events are still held in Slovenia.
Through common efforts
Next year will mark the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Russia Dauren Abaev said that as part of commemorative events, embassy representatives plan to visit Volokolamsk and Rzhev. “In addition, the delegation of our embassy plans to travel to Volgograd,” the ambassador said. According to the diplomat, the search for the dead and missing is ongoing.
“Historians call the figure 270 thousand missing Kazakhstanis. If the total number of missing Soviet soldiers exceeds 2 million, then it turns out that Kazakhstan accounts for 10%. Finding them is a very big job, and it is being successfully carried out. On average, once every month and a half, the found remains of dead Kazakh citizens are transported from Russia to Kazakhstan, and we bury them with full military honors in their homeland.”
And Doku Zavgaev spoke about cooperation with Kazakhstan during his stay in Slovenia. The ambassador told a story about two Kazakh brothers Zhakupov.
“Kasym Zhakupov and his brother escaped from German captivity and made their way to the Yugoslav partisans. There, a “Russian”, but in fact an international, battalion was created from Soviet citizens, numbering 700 fighters and heroically fighting on the territory of Yugoslavia. On May 30, 1945, this battalion liberated the city of Trieste from the fascist invaders. In this battle, Kasym died and was buried there. So, having learned this story from me, in 2018, a large delegation from Kazakhstan visited his grave, which included the chairman of the republic’s parliament, the deputy minister of defense, a lieutenant general and a group of journalists. They laid wreaths, and since then Kazakhstan has been caring for the grave of its compatriot. Kazakhs sacredly preserve the memory of the war. This is their national trait – caring for memory and kind attitude. They are predisposed to friendship. This is their genetic need,” summarized Doku Zavgaev.
Alexey Tryakin spoke about a memorandum recently signed with Kazakhstan – a bilateral project called “Restoring Destinies,” which is now undergoing the approval stage. “We have very close cooperation with the Kazakh side. The fact is that they have a huge number of dead and missing. We are ready to provide them with methodological and expert assistance in archival search, we are ready to teach them and check the lists.”
In addition, he said that by 2030 it is possible to find and return the names of a million (!) dead and missing in the fields of the Great Patriotic War. Currently, 45 thousand people are equipped with special equipment and are professionally engaged in search activities.
“This is a huge army! And then, for the 85th anniversary of the Victory, we will not just organize festive events, but will specifically solve the problem of restoring historical justice – we will return the names of the dead and missing, and we will all benefit from this. Believe me, it’s real. But I repeat: now the main task is to unite our efforts, create a common database and constantly be in touch,” says a representative of the Rodina ANO.
At the conference, they discussed proposals for changing legislation in the field of preserving historical memory, practical issues of searching for the names of fallen soldiers buried as unknown, and establishing the fate of the missing, proprietary archival search methods, a system for monitoring the condition of military graves, and also adopted a resolution that will be sent to to the State Duma.
