Love for the Motherland and faith in Victory: veterans met young people at the Znanie.Unity marathon
The open
dialogue "The Great Victory: A Shared Legacy of Fraternal Peoples"
was held on 6 November at the National Centre RUSSIA as part of the
Znanie.Unity educational marathon. Great Patriotic War veterans Nikolai
Konstantinovich Imchuk and Eduard Vladimirovich Smurago shared memories of
their wartime childhoods, discussed the strength that comes from love for the
Motherland and answered young people's questions. The marathon is organised by
the Russian society Znanie with support from the Security Council Staff of the
Russian Federation and forms part of International Week "Peoples of
Russia", dedicated to solidarity among states through the unity of peoples
and traditional values.
Participants
in the open dialogue welcomed the veterans with a standing ovation. The
conversation brought together the personal stories of people who were children
when the war began, endured severe hardships and preserved memories of events
that shaped the lives of millions of families.
Nikolai
Konstantinovich Imchuk recalled that he was an eleven-year-old living in an
orphanage in Uman in the Kiev Region when the war broke out. During their
evacuation on foot, the children came under bombardment. Finding himself alone,
he encountered Red Army soldiers and asked their commander to let him join the
unit. The boy became a messenger, carrying orders between units attempting to
break out of encirclement. He was later wounded and taken prisoner.
"We
loved our Motherland dearly and were able to defend it," said Nikolai
Konstantinovich.
After
escaping captivity, he maintained contact with a partisan unit. When his
hometown was liberated, he asked to return to the front. The veteran recalled
serving in a Guards mortar regiment, fighting his way through European
countries and celebrating Victory in the Vienna Woods. He was just fourteen at
the time.
Eduard
Vladimirovich Smurago also shared memories of the first days of the war. When
his father left to join the army, he told his son that he was now the eldest in
the family and must look after his mother and younger brother. Ahead lay the
siege of Leningrad and evacuation across Lake Ladoga in the summer of 1942.
One of the
central questions of the dialogue was what helps people remain composed in the
most terrifying moments. Answering a school pupil from Mozhaysk, Eduard
Vladimirovich emphasised the importance of confidence in Victory.
"Above
all, you must be certain that we will win," the veteran noted.
He
explained that news of resistance to the enemy and faith in the city's
defenders sustained the people of besieged Leningrad. Even during the difficult
months of 1941, this confidence helped them keep their spirits up.
Answering
the same question, Nikolai Konstantinovich Imchuk described love for the
Motherland as a source of strength that enables people to overcome fear and
remain true to their duty.
"You
must love your Motherland so deeply that no fear or other events can influence
how you act," the veteran emphasised.
A separate
part of the meeting was devoted to memories of Victory Day. Eduard
Vladimirovich Smurago experienced it as an evacuee in the Komi-Permyak
District. He warmly recalled how people from Leningrad were welcomed there and
provided with accommodation, food and medical care. Recalling May 1945, the
veteran described the universal joy: bands played and songs rang out, people
lifted front-line soldiers into the air, and tears mingled with the feeling
that peaceful life was returning.
The
veterans' personal stories offered first-hand testimony to the unity of
peoples, courage and mutual support during the war. The meeting gave young
participants an opportunity to hear direct accounts of the lives of children,
soldiers and families who had lived through the war, of love for the Motherland
and the price of Victory.
"Victory
will certainly be ours! Our thousand-year history guarantees it,"
emphasised Nikolai Konstantinovich Imchuk.
The Znanie.Unity marathon forms part of International Week "Peoples of Russia", held annually in accordance with Presidential Executive Order No. 382 of 1 June 2026, which declared 2026 the Year of Unity of the Peoples of Russia. Its central theme is "Solidarity Among States Through the Unity of Peoples and Traditional Values". The events of International Week are coordinated by the Security Council Staff of the Russian Federation. The Roscongress Foundation is the operator.
The shared memory of Victory, achievements in Russian science, cultural diversity and service to the Motherland were the main themes of the Znanie.Unity educational marathon.
Who is today's Russian gamer, how old are they, what interests do they have outside gaming, and what do they dream of?
The Znanie.Unity marathon was held as part of International Week "Peoples of Russia", marking National Unity Day.
