A ritual of military glory took place in Perm on Defender of the Fatherland Day

Photo: Evgeniy Gorbushin

On 23 February, representatives of regional and city authorities, councillors and servicemen laid flowers at the Eternal Flame memorial to the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps.

Defender of the Fatherland Day is one of the most important holidays of the country, one of the Days of Military Glory of Russia. In the history of Russia, it is a holiday of people who in difficult years for the country were responsible for the fate of the Motherland and peaceful skies. Today, this holiday epitomises patriotism, courage and valour.

A solemn ceremony of laying flowers was held at the monument to the Ural Volunteer Tank Corps. The ceremony was attended by Dmitry Makhonin, Governor of the Perm Territory, Eduard Sosnin, Mayor of Perm, Dmitry Malyutin, Chairman of the Perm City Duma, Sergey Yashkin, Hero of Russia, Alexander Kokovin, Military Commissar of the Perm Krai, servicemen, representatives of veterans' organizations, representatives of public, national and religious organizations, the regional branch of the all-Russian children's and youth military-patriotic movement "Young Army" of the Perm Krai, and student squads.

The participants of the ceremony laid flowers at the monument and honoured the memory of the fallen soldiers with a minute of silence.

On the eve of Defender of the Fatherland Day in Perm, on 22 February, the A.G. Soldatov Palace of Culture hosted a festive concert "In the Name of Life!". Veterans of the armed forces, generals, officers, participants of military operations, as well as cadets, many of whom have already decided on their future - the military affairs, gathered to watch the festive concert and congratulate each other on the upcoming holiday.

The festive concert began with the singing of the anthem of the Russian Federation. Eduard Sosnin, Mayor of Perm, addressed the audience with a congratulatory speech.

"It is true patriotism to increase the glory of the Russian troops, to support one's country and to stand up for its defence at the right time without delay. True love for the Fatherland is laid down from a young age. We educate today's youth on the example of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, who showed valour on the battlefield and worked selflessly in peacetime. We see how the glorious tradition of the Russian military continues through the generations. I am proud of my fellow countrymen who are now defending the borders of our country," said Eduard Sosnin.

In a solemn ceremony, the Mayor of Perm presented the Order of Courage to Magomed Khairulaev, a participant of a special military operation. In 2023, he honestly and bravely performed his duty to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine as part of the volunteer Cossack unit BARS-15 "Ermak". Magomed Khamirzaevich Khairulaev was awarded the Order of Courage by the Decree of the President of the Russian Federation for successful fulfilment of the assigned combat task and evacuation of the wounded from the battlefield.

The defenders of the Fatherland were also congratulated by Dmitry Malyutin, Chairman of the Perm City Duma, and Sergey Yashkin, Hero of Russia. Later, Perm's leading creative teams performed before the guests - the stage featured dances and songs by folk ensembles and theatres. The performances of the artists were accompanied by a specially prepared thematic video sequence.

For the first time at the concert, a work by Perm authors - composer Sergei Ivanov and author of lyrics Andrei Ivanov - "March of the Battalion "Prikamye" was performed. This song has become the unspoken anthem of Perm participants in the special military operation zone.