163 thousand people took part in the action “Immortal Regiment” in Kazan

(KZN.RU, May 9, Ksenia Shvetsova). Kazan joined the All-Russian action “Immortal Regiment”. 163 thousand citizens passed through the central streets of the city with portraits of their relatives who took part in the Great Patriotic War. The action of memory united people of all ages, nationalities, and professions in a single procession. Rustam Minnikhanov, the President of the RT, Mintimer Shaimiev, the State Councilor of the RT, Aleksey Pesoshin, the prime minister of the RT, Farid Mukhametshin, the chairman of the State Council of the RT, Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, as well as representatives of the ministries and departments of the republic and Executive Committee of the city took part in the action.

The gathering of the participants started at 1 pm. From the very first minutes, thousands of citizens gathered with portraits of their relatives who took part in the Great Patriotic War. “All these portraits, names are our history, which cannot be forgotten, the memory that we take from generation to generation. There is no future without the past”, Nadir Musin, a participant of the procession, shared his opinion.

Nelly Musina went to the procession with a portrait of her father Rafhat Murtazin, a lieutenant-colonel who served on the Leningrad front as a military surgeon. The Musin family raised two sons, helps in the upbringing of four grandchildren and tells them about the exploits of their ancestors.

Rustam Minnikhanov the President of the RT, headed the march of the “Immortal Regiment” on Svobody Square. He carried a portrait of his parental uncle Galimzyan Minnikhanov. He fought in the 359th Infantry Regiment. He was killed in fierce battles near Moscow on December 15, 1941.

Also, Mintimer Shaimiev, the State Councilor of the RT, a Hero of Labor of Russia, was in the forefront of the procession with a portrait of his father Sharip Shaimiev.

Ilsur Metshin, the Mayor of Kazan, went on a march with a portrait of his paternal grandfather Muzagit Metshin. He went through the whole war, received five wounds and two concussions.

During the procession, new members joined them increasing the column. In total, the citizens passed about two kilometers and completed their route on the Millennium Square. There was a concert organized for the participants of the action.

In total, 163 thousand people took part in the march. Volunteers helped to organize such a large-scale campaign. This year, about 500 volunteers contributed to the common cause, they helped people navigate and directed to the place of the columns gathering.

The “Immortal Regiment” is an all-Russian movement aimed to preserve the memory of the generation of the Great Patriotic War. The participants of the movement annually pass through the streets of the cities with photos of their relatives on the Victory Day. For the first time, the procession was held in 2011 in Tomsk, and today it covers more than 80 states and territories.

Kazan annually becomes one of the leading cities in terms of the number of participants in the action. Last year, it was expected that about 100 thousand people will take part in the procession, and in the end, more than 120 thousand Kazan citizens came to the streets of the city. And today Tatarstan takes the third place in Russia in terms of the number of participants in the procession among other regions of the country.