Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: Government of the Russian Federation – An important disclaimer is at the bottom of this article.
Deputy Prime Minister and Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev invited Deputy Chairman of the State Council of the People’s Republic of China Zhang Guoqing and Chinese colleagues to visit the Kuril Island of Shumshu in September and take part in the festive events to mark the 80th anniversary of the Victory over militaristic Japan.
“On the instructions of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, we are creating a memorial complex on Shumshu Island dedicated to the Kuril landing operation. Shumshu is one of the islands of the Kuril chain. In fact, World War II ended on this island. The Kwantung army was routed. Our soldiers routed superior enemy forces, demonstrated mass heroism, landed in the water with full equipment and attacked tanks for a long time up to the heights where the firing points were located. If you are interested in the event related to the opening of the memorial complex, we are ready to synchronize our actions with your embassy,” said Yuri Trutnev.
On the instructions of Deputy Prime Minister – Presidential Plenipotentiary Representative in the Far Eastern Federal District Yuri Trutnev, in mid-May the working group visited the Kuril Island of Shumshu to monitor the implementation of the instructions of the President of Russia on holding events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Victory over militarist Japan and the end of World War II. The working group included representatives of the Presidential Administration, the Plenipotentiary Representative of the Far East, the Ministry for the Development of the Russian Far East, and the Ministry of Culture of Russia. The delegation assessed the readiness of the sites to organize a summer expedition, as well as to create an open-air memorial.
The first stage of the military-historical memorial complex is dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory and the victory over militarist Japan. The complex, dedicated to the Kuril landing operation, is being created on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The work is being carried out under the supervision of Deputy Prime Minister and Plenipotentiary Representative Yuri Trutnev. The working group for the implementation of the instructions of the head of state is headed by Sakhalin Region Governor Valery Limarenko and Head of the Presidential Directorate for Public Projects Sergei Novikov.
“The team of the Center for Contemporary History, together with the Russian Military Historical Society, is preparing for the work that will take place this summer on the restoration and preservation of the military equipment present on Shumshu. We believe it is fundamentally important to preserve the tanks in the form in which they are now. We are talking about preserving the current position of the tanks. We will be as careful as possible about how they look now. In addition, we have engineering tasks that concern topographic work, aerial photography of the island, and historical study of materials. We plan to make an interactive map of the island by August based on the materials that will be found in archives and historical sources and obtained here as a result of field work,” said Ivan Anokhin, director of the Center for Contemporary History and geodetic engineer.
The events on Shumshu will take place during the summer of 2025 and will be dedicated to the Kuril landing operation. A search expedition, a solemn funeral ceremony for the burial of the remains of Soviet soldiers discovered during the search operations, an all-Russian physical culture event “Extreme cross-triathlon “Height 171” (swimming, cycling and running), hiking trips for the youth movement “More than a Journey”, a reconstruction of “Storming Shumshu Island”, as well as a concert program, including in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, are planned.
The key events of the opening of the memorial complex and the funeral ceremony of the soldiers’ remains will take place on August 18. A military-historical reconstruction will also take place then. About 150 people from two dozen regions of Russia and friendly countries will take part in it.
“The Russian Military Historical Society received a task from the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, within the framework of the Presidential Decree on the creation of a memorial complex here, to carry out work on organizing all events related to the Ministry of Culture in 2025, and to formulate a concept for the development of the island up to 2030. Several strategic issues related to the objects that we will restore this year need to be resolved. The Nevsky Batalist company is making an entrance area that will symbolize the Kuril landing operation itself. We are currently looking for a place where this structure could be installed. Our task is to improve all cultural heritage sites that are located on the island today. These are graves, a mass grave, a grave of two Heroes of the Soviet Union, and a pillbox. Another of our main tasks is to work with the military equipment that remained here since the Great Patriotic War. We plan to connect military facilities with a road and path network. An important task is to reorganize the museum dedicated to the Severokurilsk landing operation in Severokurilsk,” said Elena Sinitsina, executive director of the Museum of Military History of the Russian Military Historical Society.
During the working visit, an inspection of the sites of the military-historical memorial complex dedicated to perpetuating the memory of the soldiers of the Kuril landing operation was conducted, as well as the placement of a thematic installation and captured tanks in the open air. The placement of a modular structure for the display of artifacts found during the search operations and the burial of the remains of Red Army and Navy soldiers found during the search operations were discussed. The readiness of the sites for organizing the placement of summer camps for the participants of the search expedition, museum workers, employees of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, doctors, and youth tourist groups was assessed. The issues of creating a road and path network between the island’s sites and cultural and educational routes were considered.
The transport scheme for delivering cargo and equipment to Shumshu was developed by the Sakhalin Region government together with the Kamchatka Region government and the Russian Ministry of Defense. It provides for the delivery of property to Severo-Kurilsk by sea vessels. Rolling barges will be used for further transportation of cargo to Shumshu, where there are no hydraulic structures. A total of 30 units of equipment have been delivered to the island since the end of March.
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