Echo of War: 14 soldiers of the Red Army found eternal peace thanks to the searchers of VyatGU

      The spring "Memory Watch-2026" of the search team "Fakel" from Vyatka State University has culminated in a significant result: the remains of 14 Red Army soldiers have been discovered.

      On April 18, the searchers headed to the territory of the Staraya Russa district in the Novgorod region, to the site of the infamous "Ramushensky Corridor." Here, from April 21 to 22, 1942, the 26th Rifle Division fought, whose soldiers made a desperate assault on the stretch of road between Demyansk and Staraya Russa. Unfortunately, the attempt to cut off the route was unsuccessful. In that battle, the division lost about 400 men killed and missing in action. "The battles near Staraya Russa became a symbol of the soldier's feat, accomplished under the most difficult conditions. Hundreds of thousands of our soldiers gave their lives in the forests and swamps on the approaches to this city," explained the head of "Fakel," Mikhail Poroshin.

      The area along the Gridinskaya road has become almost like a second home for the "Fakel" search team. For nearly two decades, students and alumni of Vyatka State University have tirelessly worked here, annually finding, identifying, and reburial dozens of soldiers from the Great Patriotic War with military honors. "On the first day, we decided to head along the Gridinskaya road towards Lovat to a site that has been in our working plans since 2019. Back then, on the final day of the spring Memory Watch, we stumbled upon this small area where we found a mug, cartridges, and grenades in one spot. We did not discover any soldiers that day, but the site seemed promising. Moreover, there were old search excavations within a radius of 100-150 meters. This year, our guys raised the remains of two soldiers here," shared Mikhail Yurievich.

      Participants of "Fakel" spent about three weeks in the field. Every day, despite their fatigue, they shared news and reported their findings on social media, and the season concluded with the raising of the remains of 14 Red Army soldiers. "Two medallions were found with them, which, unfortunately, do not allow for the identification of the soldiers. In one of the medallions, the note had rotted, and from the other, the soldier made a mouthpiece," said Mikhail Poroshin.

      On May 7, a reburial of the found soldiers took place at the Simonov Cemetery in Staraya Russa. Along with them, Red Army soldier and scout from Siberia, Alexander Illarionovich Zakladnoy, also found eternal rest. His remains were discovered by the "Fakel" searchers in 2025. Thanks to their efforts, it was also possible to find relatives of the hero – a granddaughter, great-granddaughter, great-great-grandson, and great-great-granddaughter, who mournfully and proudly accompanied their ancestor on his final journey. It is worth noting that in December of last year, "Fakel" celebrated its 25th anniversary. Over a quarter of a century of tireless work, student searchers and alumni of Vyatka State University have discovered and buried with military honors the remains of 750 soldiers and commanders of the Red Army, established the names of 38 individuals, found relatives for 29 of them, and 10 found peace in their homeland. The search will continue in the fall.

      "The House of Charushin and the improvement of the historical quarter in Kirov": urban planning students from Vyatka State University participated in a meeting of the public council. Every victory begins with a dream: the regional stage of the "Abilympics" championship has started at Vyatka State University.