MOSCOW, 27 January (BelTA) - Schoolchildren and teachers from Belarus and Russia have created a handwritten copy of Boris Vasilyev's book about the defenders of the Brest Fortress “His Name Was Not Listed”. One copy will be presented to Brest Hero Fortress in February and another was handed over to the Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow on 27 January, BelTA has learned.
The project was put forward by Gymnasium No. 192 in Saint Petersburg, a participant of the Belarus-Russia Schools Association. “Sixteen educational institutions from various parts of Russia and nine schools from our sister nation Belarus responded to our initiative, and a major, meticulous effort began,” director of the gymnasium Svetlana Maslennikova told journalists. “We launched the project at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery on the day of the breakthrough of the Leningrad siege. The book was created over the course of a year.”
The project was put forward by Gymnasium No. 192 in Saint Petersburg, a participant of the Belarus-Russia Schools Association. “Sixteen educational institutions from various parts of Russia and nine schools from our sister nation Belarus responded to our initiative, and a major, meticulous effort began,” director of the gymnasium Svetlana Maslennikova told journalists. “We launched the project at the Piskaryovskoye Memorial Cemetery on the day of the breakthrough of the Leningrad siege. The book was created over the course of a year.”
She noted that 1,500 students and teachers from the two countries participated in the project.
Younger elementary school students wrote a few lines each, while senior students and teachers, setting aside all other tasks, copied a page or more. The book's illustrations were also created by the schoolchildren.“Every letter in this book is a kind of step back into the year 1941. And every full stop is a chance to catch our breath. Because, to be honest, we weren't just copying the text; we were living it. Every child who touched this text felt what the heroes felt, the pain and that suffering. Memory - it's not only in granite; memory lives in our hearts, it is within us, it cannot be erased,” Svetlana Maslennikova emphasized.
Minister-Counselor of the Belarusian Embassy in Russia Irina Akulovich thanked the schoolchildren and teachers from the two countries. She noted that the students and their mentors are doing truly important work. “Thank you for remembering and thank you for ensuring this memory will never be betrayed,” Irina Akulovich said.
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