The Siege of Leningrad veteran Sergei Sukhorukov launches the "Memory Wall" at the National Centre RUSSIA with the story of his hero
The All-Russian "Memory Wall" campaign, timed to
coincide with the 81st anniversary of Victory, has been launched at the
National Centre RUSSIA. The guest of honour at the ceremony was Sergei
Romanovich Sukhorukov, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War and a survivor of
the Siege of Leningrad. He not only praised the initiative but also shared the
story of his heroes.
Sergei Romanovich survived the siege, losing both his father
and mother, but found a new family. His adoptive father, Roman Karpovich
Sukhorukov, held a special place in his life.
"He was a remarkable man, a true natural talent. He
only had seven years of schooling, but he had the mind of an engineer. At 17,
he saw a tractor for the first time at his collective farm in the Luhansk
Region and studied it down to the last screw. He was incredibly responsible and
disciplined," Sergei Sukhorukov recalled.
In the military, Roman Karpovich served on the cruiser
Aurora and later became an aircraft mechanic. After the war, he worked as a
compressor operator at the Radiator plant, where his portrait remained on the
board of honour for 20 years.
"He subscribed to three magazines — Science and Life,
Technology for the Youth, and Knowledge is Power. He would sit and study them
in the evenings, so he was both intelligent and skilled with his hands,"
the guest of honour said.
The veteran still remembers how his stepfather would welcome
his comrades-in-arms every 9 May — usually about ten people at a time. He spoke
little of himself, but once Sergei Romanovich heard an amazing story: at an
airfield near Moscow, as the Germans were advancing, Roman Karpovich
single-handedly jump-started a plane that refused to start and managed to leap
on board just as it was taking off.
"If it hadn't been for Roman, we would have been
finished," the veteran said, quoting his adoptive father's comrade.
But Victory was forged not only at the front. The veteran
also spoke of the feat of his sisters, who were 15 and 13 during the siege.
After their mother died, they went to work as seamstresses in a tailor's
workshop: "They sewed padded jackets for soldiers and camouflage suits
from white sheets, and I believe their work saved the lives of many
soldiers."
Today, Sergei Romanovich has his own "Memory Wall"
at home: "As the son of Roman Karpovich, I respected him deeply, and I
have a 'Memory Wall' in my home too — with portraits of him and my
father-in-law."
The veteran added that his stepfather always supported his
desire to learn and grow. It was largely thanks to him that Sergei Sukhorukov
successfully graduated from a pedagogical institute, became a Candidate of
Historical Sciences, and worked at the Academy of Sciences for over 30 years.
The guest of honour concluded his speech with a poem he
wrote himself, dedicated to the defenders of the Motherland from 1941–1945 to
the present day, which ends with these inspiring lines:
"We believe that we will prevail,
Victory will be ours once more,
And the reason we believe,
Is that the Motherland is guarded
By such brave sons as these!"
The All-Russian "Memory Wall" campaign is timed to
coincide with the anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and unites
families preserving the memory of their relatives — war participants, home
front workers, concentration camp prisoners, and children of war. On 1 May,
memorial stands opened simultaneously in the regions of Russia and more than 20
countries worldwide.
This year, the official launch of the campaign took place
for the first time at the National Centre RUSSIA. Alongside the guests of
honour, volunteers from the Victory Volunteers National Public Movement, the
Immortal Regiment of Russia National Public Movement, Yunarmiya activists, and
the Volunteer Company of Combat Brotherhood, staff and volunteers of the
National Centre also placed portraits of their heroes on the wall.
The campaign at the National Centre RUSSIA will run from 1
to 10 May, and anyone interested is welcome to join.
Event photobank
Dance is capable of uniting people just like music and words: without translation, immediately at the level of feelings.
Geographer Alexei Vodorezov told guests at the National Centre RUSSIA why nature in Siberia and Alaska is so similar, and how this affected the dispersal of animals and humans.
From 1 to 10 May, the National Centre RUSSIA invites you to join the All-Russian campaign "Memory Wall".
