Irina Kurteeva: “The patriotism education is impossible without historical memory!"

Irina Kurteeva is the coordinator of the historical and patriotic direction of League of the Russian youth of Moldova. She participated in various round tables, conferences, youth educational forums, including the international expert and political forum “Foros” (in 2012 she was elected as the president of “Republic Foros”).

At our request Irina Kurteeva told about the main objectives in work of the direction which she heads:

- The historical and patriotic direction is one of the main in our organization. Any culture is strong with its continuity, namely with the ability to keep the past in the present and to transfer it to the future. The League of the Russian youth of Moldova set a task — to develop the historical and patriotic direction in the work with the youth.

Our organization seeks to bring up the patriots of Moldova - those who loves the country, is proud of it, respects its history and remembers the ancestors. In addition the historical and patriotic direction works over preservation of centuries-old history of friendly relationship of Russia and Moldova and also over further development and strengthening of friendship of two people.

Main objectives are as follows:

- formation of feeling of a civil liability and patriotism, love to the native land Moldova and the historical homeland Russia at youth;

- education of national and civil consciousness, need for development of national culture, studying of national history;

- preservation of historical memory and dissemination of knowledge on history of Moldova;

- opposition to attempts of history falsification.

One of the last large projects of the historical and patriotic orientation is “Memory of generations”. Within this project the conferences, round tables passed, actions for the upclassing of monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War and burials of the Soviet soldiers and also a large-scale action on return of the historical name to the Kishinev street of Alexey Ilyich Belsky - the Hero of the Soviet Union, the honourable citizen. Our action was supported by the Veterans of the Great Patriotic War, many public organizations, considerable part of municipal advisers and also the widow of the hero Lidiya Alekseevna.

In more detail I told about it in the article “About the Patriotic Education of the Youth of Moldova and Counteraction to Attempts of History Falsification”:

It is not a secret that in our country the attempts of rewriting of the historic facts take place the ideas of which are sounded in increasing frequency by known Moldavian politicians. Ardent fighters with the history of Moldova and defenders of interests of Romania already put a memorable block to victims of the Soviet occupation on a central square of Kishinev.

The round-the-clock protection was established at the bust opened by the capital mayor to Alexandru Ioan Cuza, the prince of united Romania. It is remarkable that one of the senior security guards answered a question from whom the bust of Cuza-Voda is protected: “From the people of Moldova!”. And the legality of establishment of a block to victims of the Soviet occupation and Alexander Cuza's bust is a separate question. After all, judging by documentation, they are only “territory improvement” and by that are equated to benches in park or to borders.

Here there is one more question: why to protect the borders and benches? Why do they guard and against whom they preserve “stone to victims of the Soviet occupation” and a bust of Cuza-Voda while the hundreds of monuments established over all country in honour of heroes liberators, who won a victory over fascism, are in a deplorable state and are deprived of all attention from the authorities? ! And the date of June 28, 1940, Day of liberation of Moldova from Romanian and fascist occupation, the same figures designated as the day of the Soviet occupation. Moreover, with the purpose to write down June 28 and other memorials in the minds of the youth as “tragic for the Moldavian people”, the whole commission on condemnation of a totalitarian communistic regime was created. Let's note, by the way, that this commission included the same people who in the period of the Soviet power glorified the Soviet system and everything that is connected with it …

It is possible to assume that these persons will begin to condemn a present political regime in the near future. And what else can be expected from the people changing the names of streets, forging the historic facts. The present European integrators, the followers of ideas of Antonescu who try to justify the crimes committed against mankind.

It is possible to claim with confidence that in the republic there are organizations which are guided by double standards: on the one hand, they support our patriotic views and at the same time, unfortunately, try to please the enemies of the Moldavian statehood in every possible way. Possibly if they have the courage, later they admit it. Because those who was against the return of the historical name to the Kishinev street of Belsky won’t name differently as traitors! As Alexey Belsky is our hero: he was the first who entered into the Moldavian capital and exempted it from the fascist aggressors.

Return of the historical name to Belsky Street is one of the fundamental questions which have been put forward by the League of the Russian youth of Moldova. The historical and patriotic direction always was one of the priorities in the organization work. The league seeks to bring up the patriots of Moldova - the people loving the Homeland and respecting its history. In recent years the activists of the League of the Russian youth gave start to a number of the successful projects directed on achievement of a goal: developments of patriotic spirit at the youth. The project “Memory of Generations” within which the young people over all country took part in restoration of monuments of times of the Great Patriotic War, the upclassing of graves of heroes, numerous conferences, round tables, displays of historical and patriotic movies has the large-scale development.

Everyone knows the annual action of the League of the Russian youth on unrolling of the longest St.George's ribbon of 365 meters which unites thousands representatives of young generation. In addition, at the initiative of the League in the fall of the current year the historical name of one of the central streets of Briceni, namely the street “June 28” was returned in honour of liberation of Moldova from the Romanian occupation. At the same time the majority of municipal advisers voted for the name return to Belsky Street. For coming into effect this decision demands only the observance of some legal formalities - signings by the secretary of Council that is a matter of time.

We thank all who supported the initiative of the League of the Russian youth: veterans of war, the municipal advisers who have supported the idea, inhabitants of the street and those patriotic organizations which treat indifferently the protection of historical justice. Today there is a real danger of repetition of terrible events when the Fascism trampled down the streets of our hometown and walked over all country. In these conditions it is very important that all patriotic forces combined the efforts for protection of the Moldavian statehood and upholding of interests of the people of our country.

It is especially important as in our hard time the policy of the West, imposing the double standards, actively divides the Moldavian society, blackening our heroic history in every possible way and burying the feats of the Soviet people in oblivion – the feats thanks to which there is such state as the Republic of Moldova on the map today.

Today's instability in economy and policy of Moldova led to change of civil consciousness, and also to loss of the idea of love for the country. Now in connection with a difficult situation in the country we faced the falsification of historical events and the unfair relation of the authorities to the names of great people. They change the names of the streets bearing the names of heroes - liberators and the authorities absolutely have no dealing with the graves and monuments.

For this reason, we consider that it is very important to work over preservation of memory of great feats of ancestors in order to transfer the history to the following generations. It is the major that all of us have to make today to keep the respect for the Homeland and for the history at young generation. The patriotism education is impossible without this memory!

You know, it would be desirable that those who position himself as the patriots carried out the activity directly out of love for the country and laid personal ambitions aside - today it is not the time. It is necessary to realize the importance of consolidation of efforts for fight against fascism which tries to get into the republic in different forms (the proof of that is the attempts of carrying out the Romanian-unionist marches in the Moldavian cities).

The League of the Russian youth repeatedly declared the openness and readiness for efforts association. We invite all for whom the destiny of our Homeland isn't indifferent, to support us!