Eternal Flame returned to Victory Square in Krasnoyarsk

On Defender of the Fatherland Day, an Eternal Flame lighting and flower laying ceremony took place near the Victory Memorial in Krasnoyarsk. The ceremony was attended by veterans of the Great Patriotic War and special military operations, representatives of the legislative and executive authorities of the Krasnoyarsk Territory and Krasnoyarsk, representatives of law enforcement agencies, youth public organizations and residents.

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Stepan Grandovsky, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, an Honorary Citizen of Krasnoyarsk, and Igor Balabolenko, chairman of the Krasnoyarsk regional public organization Union of Veterans of a Special Military Operation, lit an Eternal Flame from a lamp in which it had been stored for 10 months during the renovation of the square. Victories.

Semyon Semyonovich Grishanov, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, an Honorary citizen of Krasnoyarsk, congratulated the audience on Defender of the Fatherland Day.

"Dear Krasnoyarsk citizens, thank you to your generation for preserving the traditions and memory of those who died in the Great Patriotic War. Thank you," Semyon Semyonovich Grishanov said.

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Governor Mikhail Kotyukov noted that Victory Square with the Eternal Flame is one of the most important places in our region. 

"Today, defenders of the Fatherland of different generations and veterans of the Great Patriotic War are passing the baton to the young guys who took over the "Post No. 1" and are themselves the direct heirs of the generation of winners, our heroes. This connection of generations is the basis of our historical memory, the continuity of defenders of the Fatherland from different eras. In the year of the Victory anniversary, we have many reasons to express our gratitude to those who, at different times, at different turns of fate, invariably defended our Homeland and gave us the opportunity today to live and determine the future of our country by ourselves, to raise our children by ourselves. Eternal glory to the defenders of the Fatherland. Eternal memory to our heroes," the head of the Krasnoyarsk Territory addressed the audience.

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The head of Krasnoyarsk Vladislav Loginov emphasized the unity that united all those gathered on the square. 

"Today we witnessed the return of the Eternal Flame to the renovated Victory Square. We witnessed not just a historical event, but the absolute unity of different generations of residents. These are our dear veterans, on whose values a new generation of defenders of the country has grown up. These are both fighters of the SVO, and very young Krasnoyarsk residents: the guys are soldiers, participants in patriotic movements, of whom we are proud. All of them can rightfully be called defenders of the Fatherland! The unity of all of us is the most valuable thing that is happening here right now, at these moments. The most valuable thing this year is the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. And we, as a holy relic, will pass this unity from generation to generation," the mayor said.

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After honoring the memory of the heroes and defenders with a minute of silence and a gun salute, the participants of the ceremony laid flowers at the Eternal Flame.

For reference:

The Eternal Flame was first lit in Krasnoyarsk in 1967 on Red Square. On May 9, 1975, the Victory Memorial Museum was opened, where a torch lit from the Eternal Flame on Moscow's Red Square was brought. On May 13, 2024, in connection with the beginning of the modernization of the Victory Memorial, an Eternal Flame preservation ceremony was held. During this time, the capsule with Eternal Flame visited all the districts of Krasnoyarsk. On February 23, 2025, the Eternal Flame returned to the renovated Victory Square. The reconstruction of Victory Square has been completed, but the reconstruction of the Victory Memorial Museum continues. It is planned that it will open its doors by the 80th anniversary of the Victory on May 9 this year.​ It should be noted that the memorial complexes are being put in order on behalf of the governor of the region Mikhail Kotyukov. This project is part of the city's 400th anniversary preparation program.