President of Russia
  • Events
  • Structure
  • Videos and Photos
  • Documents
  • Contacts
  • Search
  • Search this website
President of Russia
Mobile version

President's
website
sections

  • Events
  • Structure
  • Videos and Photos
  • Documents
  • Contacts
  • Search
  • Search
  • For the Media
  • Subscribe
  • Directory
  • Version for People with Disabilities
  • Русский

President's
website
resources

  • President of RussiaCurrent resource
  • The Constitution of Russia
  • State Insignia
  • Address an appeal to the President
  • Vladimir Putin’s Personal Website

Official Internet Resources
of the President of Russia

  • Telegram Channel
  • Rutube Channel
  • YouTube Channel

Legal
and technical
information

  • About website
  • Using website content
  • Personal data of website users
  • Contact website team

All content on this site is licensed under

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International

Presidential Executive Office2025
Events

Meeting with Members of Youth Search Centre Iskatel

March 11, 2009
21:55
Tula

President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev: I want to say thank you very much. I found it very interesting to see the results of your work.

I do not want to say banal words, but what you are doing really is exceptionally important for our country. Your work contributes to our sense of identity. If we know and remember our own history, we owe this remembrance to our soldiers too. It is not easy work that you are doing, but it is a noble and truly patriotic undertaking.

Your work is the very example of genuine patriotism, and not patriotism for show. We have plenty of examples of surrogate patriotism, in the arts too. The films many watch today educate through the example of others’ patriotism. They are good films, quality films, but we have too few of our own films. Making a film is an artistic endeavour, but what you do is real work in the field. On behalf of our country, I simply want to say thank you very much.

I hope that you will continue this work, and that we will continue to see its results in the artefacts you find, and of course, in the burial of our fallen soldiers.

Thank you.

***

Question: Dmitry Anatolyevich, did anyone in your family fight in the Great Patriotic War, and did any of your family members lose their lives?

Dmitry Medvedev: I had family members who fought, of course. My paternal grandfather fought, and my maternal grandfather also. Fortunately, they both survived and returned home.

My paternal grandfather fought in Kuban and took part in the campaign at Malaya Zemlya, famous since the Soviet period. That really was a terrifying experience. He went through some real ordeals there, was wounded, and was decorated.

My other grandfather also took part in battle. In this respect, my family went through what most Soviet families of that time were going through. We were lucky that all of our close relatives survived.

Response: That’s a good thing.

Dmitry Medvedev: Yes, it’s a good thing of course, and most importantly, it gave me much at the personal level, because I remember how when I was your age, or perhaps even younger, I spent quite a lot of time talking with my grandfathers, and listening to them tell their stories with great emotion, with tears in their eyes. That kind of contact shapes your attitude, how you see the war, and it is truly invaluable. This was something that was very important to me.

Question: Dmitry Anatolyevich, we have a subject of concern. We know that amendments are being drafted to the law on immortalising memory. We would not want the work of youth search organisations like ours coming to a halt.

Dmitry Medvedev: Who said that there is any plan to stop you from continuing your work?

To be honest, I do not know all the details of these amendments, but I am sure that if they are passed, they will be absolutely reasonable. Since you have raised the issue, I will keep watch on developments. No one is going to shut you out of this work. On the contrary, you are in the vanguard of these efforts.

I wish you success, and I hope that everything works out well for you.

Publication status

Published in section: Transcripts

Publication date: March 11, 2009, 21:55

Direct link: en.kremlin.ru/d/3399

Text version

Text

Share
Direct link
http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/3399
Share
  • VK
  • Telegram
  • Ok
  • Send by email
  • Print
Send by email

Official Website of the President of Russia:

Meeting with Members of Youth Search Centre Iskatel

http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/transcripts/3399

Last updated at March 20, 2015, 18:02

Официальные сетевые ресурсы

Президента России

Official Internet Resources

of the President of Russia

Русский Английский
  • For the Media
  • Version for People with Disabilities
  • Telegram Channel
  • Rutube Channel
  • YouTube Channel
  • Website of the President of Russia
  • State Insignia
  • Address an appeal to the President
  • Vladimir Putin’s Personal Website
  • Putin. 20 years

Presidential Executive Office
2025