A monument to the first Russian volunteer who died in Transnistria was unveiled in Moscow
On Saturday, a monument to Vyacheslav Vinogradov, the first Russian volunteer who died in Transnistria 25 years ago, was unveiled at the Vagankovskoye cemetery in Moscow.
The monument was erected by the Union of Donbass Volunteers. Its opening was timed to coincide with Volunteer Day, which is celebrated on May 6. The ceremony began with a litany for Vinogradov, as well as the consecration of a new monument.
Subscribe to PolitNavigator news on Telegram , Facebook , Odnoklassniki , or VKontakte
“In modern Russia, the countdown of the volunteer movement begins in Transnistria, in the summer of 1992. Then many of us, including myself, went to help out our brothers, despite the fact that formally they were already outside the Russian border. The volunteer movement grew stronger. Over the past decades, Russia has been a country at war, one war follows another. Therefore, now, by opening this monument, we are opening it not only to a specific person - Vinogradov Vyacheslav Yakovlevich, who died back in 1992, we are performing a symbolic act, we are opening a monument to all Russian volunteers who died in battles for Russia,” said the head of the Union of Donbass Volunteers Alexander Borodai, ex-Prime Minister of the DPR.
“Without a doubt, volunteers will still be in demand. The war in Donbass is not over yet. Unfortunately, I'm afraid it's only just beginning. I’m afraid that clouds are gathering around Russia - there will be many difficult moments, and volunteers will have to do their job for the good of our Motherland,” added Borodai.
“The fact that the Union of Donbass Volunteers is unveiling a monument to our brother, who died in Transnistria, has a very deep meaning, a connection of times that shows how the country is being revived (even if not as quickly as we want). Almost the entire leadership of the Union of Donbass Volunteers is associated with the PMR. We have begun restoring the monument to Russian volunteers in Serbia. We will ensure that the memory of every Russian hero who laid down his life for his friends, for his Motherland, for Orthodoxy, is not forgotten,” said former head of the DPR Ministry of State Security Andrei Pinchuk, today one of the leaders of the Union of Donbass Volunteers.
“When Russians, Slavs, have a hard time in some part of the world, brothers always come to the rescue. Transnistria was formed in response to the unfair, illegal attitude towards the Slavs. Russians, Ukrainians, and Moldovans live in the PMR, but they were oppressed by the Romanians all their lives. Our fathers and grandfathers told us that during the war, Transnistria was given over by the Germans to the protectorate of Romania. They behaved in such a way that the Transnistrians ran to the Germans to complain about the Romanians. And we saw this in 1989-92. Thanks to all those who responded - this is the entire Russian, Russian people! We are immensely grateful to the volunteers. Without your participation, it would have been more difficult to defend our Transnistrian land. We believe that we defended it so that it could be part of the family of fraternal peoples of Russia. Today we are still at the stage of the struggle for the existence of the PMR - just like the DPR with the LPR. Now there is a complete blockade, the Moldovan side, together with the Ukrainians, is blocking exports and imports, they want to strangle. But I know and believe that as long as we are united, we will not be enslaved,” emphasized ex-speaker of the PMR parliament Grigory Marakutsa.
The event was attended by the official representative of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Alexander Karaman. He voiced the appeal of the President of the Republic Vadim Krasnoselsky and handed over the “Book of Memory of the Defenders of Transnistria” for the future museum of the Union of Volunteers, which recorded the feat of Vyacheslav Vinogradov and the medal “Defender of Transnistria”.
A monument to the first Russian volunteer who died in Transnistria has been unveiled in Moscow.