Memory of Russia: Russia Day in Dresden

On June 14 in the Russian Center under the German-Russian Institute of Culture took place the decoration ceremony for the Great Patriotic War veterans, the veterans of the home front, the survivors of siege which had not being on the books of the RF General Consulate in Leipzig and which were ‘discovered’ by the Russian public organizations in Saxony. On the whole there were 28 people who had made a valuable contribution to the Victory over fascism.

G. P. Golub, the Russian Consul General in Leipzig, congratulated warmly all the present, wished them a good health and decorated with commemorative medals ’65th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945’.

The date of the event fell on the national holiday – Russia Day. As on May 8 the guests were seated at the festively set tables and watched the performance of women chore ‘Fraylaks’. The war-time songs and popular Soviet songs were performed.

Retired colonel E. P.Goncharov was invited for the military parade on May 9 on the Red Square in Moscow and then to a ceremonial reception given by the Russian President in Kremlin. He brought a flask with ‘Kremlin’ vodka from there and treated it to his comrades.

Among the guests was also Frido Zaidevitz aged 91, who had spent 10 years in Stalin’s camps where he produced gold for the country. His father, a German anti-fascist Max Zaidevitz (1892–1987) had been the Premier Minister of Saxony in 1947 – 1949 and then from 1955 to 1968 had worked as the Director General of the State Museums.

At the end of the meeting the veterans were photographed together with the Russian consul in the Institute’s garden. It was nice to see the touched and happy faces of veterans who thanked the Institute employees for their care and attention.