May 8. A bright spring morning, permeated with pain and the superhuman power of memory.
Today we bow our heads on the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War of 1939–1945. This is a day of gratitude to those who stopped the darkness of the last century, and a day of tears for the millions of lives that that war swallowed up.
For those who went through it — and left us in the post-war years.
Tears for those who were not born.
For their unborn children, grandchildren, and maybe great-grandchildren…
They say there was no family in the country from which that war would not take a loved one.
The KhAI family lost dozens, maybe hundreds…
And only 20 names on the monument.
Others remained — the “unknown soldier.”
Today we remember them all by name. All twenty whose names are engraved on granite.
And we will remember all those who are not on this monument.
Employees, teachers of KhAI… Students… 19 years old. 20. 22… Children who stopped the enemy with their own lives.
The 1534th day of a full-scale war. On a flying seagull — a trace from the wreckage of an enemy "Grad".
We hold on. We stand. We live.
We overcome the enemy who came with the same goal — to burn, kill, destroy.
And therefore, the Day of Remembrance and Victory over Nazism in the Second World War of 1939–1945 is not just a day on the calendar and not a formal ritual.
This is our lighthouse. A reminder that light will always overcome darkness.