The Legislative Duma of Tomsk Oblast
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MAY 28, 2015. ADDRESS BY OKSANA KOZLOVSKAYA AT THE 42ND SESSION OF THE LEGISLATIVE DUMA OF TOMSK OBLAST
Dear deputies!
Dear guests!
May was rich in events. The most prominent one was the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. 20 million people joined the celebrations on May 9 in all 85 regions of Russia.
Leaders and delegations from more than 30 countries took part in the Victory Parade in Moscow.
Dozens of countries celebrated the Victory Day. Hundreds of thousands people went out to the streets in the US and Germany, Israel and Baltic States.
Four years ago, Tomsk launched the Immortal Regiment movement. This year, 50,000 people from Tomsk Oblast took part in the events. Over the four years the movement has spanned across the borders of Russia and united 12 million Russians and 15 foreign countries. On May 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the Immortal Regiment march with his compatriots.
The scale, the atmosphere, and the sincerity of the celebrations literally turned the tide in the perceptions of Russia and Russians by many foreign nations. Western journalists were talking of ‘goosebumps’ describing events which took place in Russia on May 9. The world saw a totally different Russia! And it was not only about the revival of our country’s military power or the new geopolitical and economic configuration of the world. It was about the solidarity of millions of people, shared history, shared pride and, consequently, awareness of responsibility for the nation and for the planet.
Dear colleagues!
Many share a concern that after the celebrations of the Victory Day the focus on the Great Patriotic War and the veterans will be gradually lost until the next anniversary. I am convinced that no complacency is allowed. Many of you work with Veterans Councils and personally with war and labor veterans. We need to engage the youth more. It is especially important today with the growing numbers of Russians who tend to think that the Victory Day is just parades and fireworks with very little care about the veterans, if any.
A survey on the civic and patriotic potential of young people in Tomsk Oblast has shown that the majority (63%) believe that true patriotism means following the tradition. Less than a half (48%) chose the option ‘Patriotism means building pride for today’s and past achievements of your countrymen’.
Helping the youth to correlate their own interests with those of their town, city, or country should be the responsibility of the government. It is achieved through day-to-day work with each family, nursery school, secondary school, university, work team, and public organizations.
Together with the Oblast Administration we need to get back to the question of developing a program focused on patriotic upbringing of the young to enhance and promote national patriotism and best civil initiatives such as preserving the memory about the war, just as they are doing it at the federal level today.
