“Memory Train” is evidence of interest in the common past of Belarus and Russia
Published:06.07.2023
The “project” departed on June 22 in the Brest Fortress. Young passengers from Belarus, Russia, Kyrgyzstan and Armenia took part in a meeting-requiem dedicated to the Day of National Remembrance of the victims of the Great Patriotic War and the genocide of the Belarusian people and at dawn watched the reconstruction of the defense of the legendary citadel over the Bug.
Today is the solemn finale of the project. During the international patriotic project, schoolchildren from four countries spent 16 days on the road, 160 hours, covered the route of 9375 kilometers and saw 14 cities.
“The Memory train was warmly received in Grodno, Polotsk, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Ufa, Samara, Volgograd, Kursk, Gomel, Zhlobin, Mogilev, Gorki, Orsha, Minsk.
In each city along the way, the guys took part in commemorative events related to the Great Patriotic War and other important historical dates in Belarus and Russia, laid wreaths and flowers at the monuments to fallen soldiers, met with veterans and government officials, participated in cultural recreational activities. In every city, young passengers collected fragments of the project's symbol.
Boys and girls were greatly impressed by the visit to the monument to children - victims of the Great
Patriotic War in the Zhlobin region, the Buinichskoe Pole memorial, the memorial complex "For our Soviet Motherland" in Orsha, the Mound of Glory, the memorial complex "Khatyn" and the world's largest cemetery of those who died during the Second World War - Piskarevsky Memorial Cemetery.
The meeting with the heads of the Upper Houses of the Parliaments of Russia and Belarus Valentina Matvienko and Natalya Kochanova in Ufa charged the students for further successful achievements, became a motivation for study and creativity, a course for new projects.
The Chairman of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Natalya Kochanova spoke important parting words for the children: “You must be those who will never forget the memory of generations of winners. You are the heirs of this memory, carry it with honor and dignity.”
Tenth-graders spent two days in Moscow. A memorable event for them was a visit to the Victory Museum.
For every student, immersion in history is a memorable and valuable experience. After all, they visited hero cities, about which they had only read in books before. Such an approach of the youth of the Union State to the living memory of the people vividly testifies to the interest in the common past of Belarus and Russia.
Summing up, Vice Speaker of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia and project coordinator Konstantin Kosachev said that now all doubts about the relevance of the unique project, which were at the initial stage, have been completely removed: “I am sure that for each of the train participants, it will be one of the brightest events in their lives. Children will continue to be friends and communicate, and maybe do something together - this is so necessary now for our countries and peoples.
Konstantin Kosachev also emphasized that the Memory Train routes do not end there: “We have a lot of ideas. We will follow the path of expanding the circle of participants. We hope that in the year of the 80th anniversary of the Victory, in 2025, we will be able to invite all 15 post-Soviet republics to participate, because the USSR is the victorious country in the Great Patriotic War. Project options are also possible besides the railway such as waterways or roads. The main thing is that the children have an interest in participating. This will mean that we are on the right track.”
Pavel Golovinov from the city of Syzran expressed the general opinion of the participants of a significant project: “There were many impressions during this trip, we became best friends. It is sad to leave. We learned so many new things traveling through our country - Russia, and in neighboring Belarus. We return with completely different thoughts.
Lyubov Mikhailovich, a student of the Minsk Regional Lyceum, gave us a touching comment: "The Memory Train" taught me to love my homeland. He showed me how valuable was the victory that our great-grandfathers won, how valuable is this peaceful sky above our heads. I will come home and kiss my grandparents. And I will definitely visit the grave of my great-grandfather, a participant in the Great Patriotic War.”
The project was first implemented in 2022 at the initiative of the Chairman of the Council of the Republic Natalya Kochanova and the Speaker of the Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko under the auspices of the upper houses of the parliaments of Belarus and Russia.
In the period from June 22 to July 4, 2022, about 200 high school students from Belarus and Russia in a specialized train made a trip to 7 cities of Belarus and 7 cities of Russia. The project participants also visited the Patriot Park in the Moscow Region. During the commemorative events at the Memorial Complex "Mound of Glory" on July 3, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko talked to the participants of the action.
This year, by decision of the Presidents of Belarus and Russia, the project received the status of an event of the Union State.
Press-center of the Ministry of Education.