Alexander Shaganov: It is a great honor for me to take part in the action "Gardens of Memory"

      The solemn event was attended by the famous songwriter, co-chairman of the Greenland Festival Alexander Shaganov, pupils of the Inspiration Children's Art house, teachers and parents.

      In the early morning of May 9, the protesters marched with the "Immortal Regiment" to the square named after our illustrious countryman, held a solemn rally and laid flowers at the monument to Ivan Stepanovich. Then lilac seedlings were planted on the square. It is noteworthy that lilac has always been the commander's favorite flower, and it was with lilac bouquets in the spring of 1945 that the residents of Prague literally pelted the Marshal and the Soviet military. Marshal Konev's daughter, Natalia Ivanovna, who has repeatedly visited Vyatka and shared her memories with the young guides of the Konev Museum, said that her father planted different varieties in the country. It was since 1945 that he associated the scent of lilac with Victory.

      "It is a great honor for me to take part in this truly holy and noble cause," said Alexander Shaganov, the author of dozens of Soviet and Russian pop hits. - It is especially touching that this idea originated here, in Vyatka. In 2015, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory, students of the Seleznikha village school proposed planting trees in memory of the heroes. My old friend, the chairman of the Greenland Festival, Oleg Valenchuk, supported them. And today, Memorial Gardens are blooming all over Russia and in many foreign countries. Over the years, over 22,000 trees have been planted in the Kirov region alone. I am proud to be a part of such a large-scale campaign.

      The Great Patriotic War is an event that has forever been etched into the memory of our people. The deep scars of history, the wounds that never heal, and the heroism that we must always remember. Unfortunately, direct witnesses of those terrible years are leaving, taking with them priceless memories, leaving behind only photographs, letters and stories. That is why initiatives aimed at preserving the memory of the war are becoming not just important, but necessary.

      "Every sapling planted as part of this movement becomes a symbol of rebirth, a clear embodiment of the price of freedom and independence that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers paid," Oleg Valenchuk notes. - And, of course, today it is more important than ever that veterans, war children, schoolchildren and their parents participate in the celebrations. This unity is the key to our strength and ability to give a worthy rebuff to any enemy encroaching on our values.