Moscow youth laid flowers at the monument today To Alexander Suvorov. Why do the exploits of the commander of the distant XVIII century not leave the modern man indifferent?
Photo: AiF/Inna Aleynikova.
Hero – that says it all
From the metro station “Dostoevskaya” to the monument go groups of young guys with red carnations. Not in formation, it’s quite obvious. We came just because we wanted to. “Yesterday, the chairman of our student Council announced that on Defender of the Fatherland Day it is possible to lay flowers at this monument,” says a third-year student of the Moscow State University of Technology and Management. Razumovsky Anastasia Buchatskaya. – We agreed to meet here, so we are waiting for the start of the action. I study computer science and computer engineering, my friends – from the «food» faculty. But we are well aware of Suvorov – we were told in detail about the feats performed in Russian history classes. His life is impressive, not a single lost battle!»
Photo: AiF/Inna Aleynikova.
“Suvorov is the one you can try to be like. So what if he lived more than two hundred years ago? Hero – that says it all, – says the project manager «City of Heroes Moscow» Dmitry Kurbanov. The project brings together people from 14 to 35 years old covering the topic of “everyday heroism”. They get to know people who unexpectedly faced a difficult situation and accomplished a feat, record an interview with them, and then post it on the Internet. “The hero can be a 16-year-old guy” he helpeda subway passenger who accidentally fell on the rails. Or a bone marrow donor who once decided to enroll in the national donor registry, – Dmitry gives examples. You communicate with them and are surprised: after all, in some cases there was no time for reflection, and the person, without hesitation, simply saved the stranger.
Photo: AiF/Inna Aleynikova.
Memorial plaque on each house
The Battle of Kozludzhi and Rymnik, the Kinburn Battle, the Italian campaign – in the places of the battles of Suvorov, you can enthusiastically study geography and history. And if, at the mention of the generalissimo’s name, these key battles will immediately come to mind only to experts, then the capture of Ishmael and the crossing of the Alps are known to everyone, as is the famous Suvorov “Hard in teaching” easy in battle”.
In a recent appeal to the citizens of Russia Vladimir Putin I drew attention to the significance of this historical figure. “Let me remind you, in the XVIII century soldiers fought for this city Alexandra Suvorova, – the president said about Ochakov. Thanks to their courage, it became part of Russia. At the same time, in the XVIII century, the lands of the Black Sea region, annexed to Russia as a result of the wars with the Ottoman Empire, were called Novorossiya. Now these milestones of history are being tried to be forgotten, as are the names of state military figures of the Russian Empire, without whose labors modern Ukraine would not have many large cities and even the very exit to the Black Sea. Recently, a monument to Alexander Suvorov was demolished in Poltava. What can I say?»
It is noteworthy that the places of Suvorov campaigns are treated with respect even abroad. For example, the correspondent of “AIF” happened to write about the Swiss local historian Walter Gelere, who opened a private museum in Lintal in the canton of Glarus and leads free excursions himself (now the museum has moved to the canton of Uri). Mr. Geler amazes Russians who visit there with the attitude of foreigners to the Russian military commander. There is a memorial plaque on every house where Suvorov spent at least a day. Geler spent 40 years exploring the surroundings with a mine detector and collected a rich collection of artifacts: remnants of weapons, cores, bullets, equipment. He was accused of “black digging” and demanded to hand over the finds, but he won the courts.
Near Suzdal, in the village of Kistysh, the former ancestral estate of Suvorov A.V., an initiative group of veterans of the Armed Forces and the FSB of Russia is creating an architectural and historical complex of the Great Russian Commander with public donations. Photo: suvorovkistysh.ru
Meanwhile, in Russia a few years ago, enthusiasts from different cities, including residents of Moscow, undertook to restore the Church of St. Basil the Great erected by Suvorov in the village of Kistysh, in the Suzdal district of the Vladimir region, based on archival materials. To the family estate, donated by Peter I Suvorov’s grandfather, the military commander just came to stay. His grandfather and father lived there permanently. After the death of his father, Alexander Vasilyevich erected the St. Basil the Great Cathedral in memory of him. In 1928, the church was closed, the bell tower was blown up. Even 10 years ago, the temple was threatened with complete destruction. The rescue work carried out with donations revived it.
Photo: AiF/Inna Aleynikova.
Loud anniversaries and quiet life
Today’s action on laying flowers at the monument to Suvorov in Moscow brought together a variety of guys. According to Ekaterina Dragunova, Chairman of the Committee for Public Relations and Youth Policy of the City of Moscow, these are volunteers, the student rescue corps, representatives of cultural projects and NGOs. “Of course, events about heroic personalities are held in the city throughout the year, we celebrate all anniversaries,” she said. – There is even a Club of children of heroes in Moscow, it is headed by the daughter of Marshal Ivan Konev. Children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren gather, who share facts unknown to a wide range about what their loved ones were on the battlefield and what they were like at home. When the epidemiological situation allows, the meetings will resume, about which the committee will make announcements on its website. On February 23, we also remember all those who defended our homeland – these are heroes of the Great Patriotic War, internationalist warriors and, of course, commanders of past eras, such as Alexander Vasilyevich Suvorov.
Photo: AiF/Inna Aleynikova.
