News for October 2023

Stele “Perm, the City of Labour Valour” was unveiled in Perm. It was constructed by regional and city authorities.

Photo by Vitaly koksharov

Stele “Perm, the City of Labour Valour” was unveiled in Perm. It was constructed by regional and city authorities. The Governor of Perm Krai, Dmitry Makhonin, and the Mayor of the city, Eduard Sosnin, congratulated citizens on the unveiling of this important and historical memorial.

The height of the stele is about 26 meters. The architectural complex of this memorial consists of an amphitheater, a wall, and the stele itself. The sides of the wall are decorated with mosaic and glass images that show the contribution of Perm to achieving victory in the Great Patriotic War. This unique feature makes it distinguishable from memorials of other "cities of Labour Valour". One of the central parts of this complex is the famous photography of the 12-year-old Valya Kusakin, a worker at Motor Plant No. 19. There were more than 5,000 teenagers working in this plant during the war, and Valya was the youngest. He was too short, so he had to use a wooden box just to reach the milling machine.

The participants of the unveiling were the Governor of Perm Krai, Dmitry Makhonin, Head of the Department for Coordination of State Policy Issues in the Historical and Humanitarian Spheres of the Administration of the President of the Russian Federation Vladislav Kononov, the Mayor of Perm Eduard Sosnin, veterans, homefront workers, directors of industrial enterprises, and members of youth associations.

Dmitry Makhonin noted this day as significant for Perm Krai. - We honor everybody who, literally, forged that victory. And of course, we cannot forget the people who went to the front. Perm is not only the city of Labour but also of Military Valour. I'm very grateful to everybody who was involved in the building of the stele. I thank our industrial enterprises for their help with the construction. And I'm especially grateful to those people who worked hard then making the victory closer. 74 enterprises operated during the Great Patriotic War to help people in the front. At the moment, dozens of enterprises are operating to help us reach victory in the Special military operation. It is very emblematic for us, the Governor emphasized.

The Governor also said that the stele will be a place of interest for residents and guests of the capital of the region. The territory near the monument has been improved; pavements and grass lawns have been renewed; and lighting is ready. The repair of the facades of the nearby houses is in progress. The transformation of the square and construction of the memorial will be a natural finish to the global renovation of Sibirskaya Street. The Mayor of Perm, Eduard Sosnin, emphasized that this new monument will become an essential part of patriotic education for youth.

This is a symbol that connects our past and our present, a symbol that shows the heroic labor of our ancestors and modern workers. The Perm's enterprises during the war produced engines, artillery systems, armored boats, rocket charges, and ammunition for the battlefront. At present, our country needs Perm plants and people who are working hard  for the Motherland,  Eduard Sosnin noted.

Perm was awarded the honorary title - "The City of Labour Valour" in 2020. It is impossible to evaluate the contribution of Perm citizens to the victory. Our city produced and sent more than 13 million mortar shells, about 3 million propulsive charges for the Katyusha rocket launcher, more than 10 million boots and helmets, and 650 thousand voice sets to the battlefront. Every third artillery shell had a fuse from Perm. All the combat aircraft produced during the war had fuel systems from Perm. 66% of all rocket charges produced during the war by the gunpowder industry of the country were also from Perm.