On the eve of Victory Day, the Flame of Victory international commemorative event is launching, dedicated to preserving the historical memory of the heroic deeds of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War and the heroes who gave their lives in the fight against Nazism.
The project was organized by the participants of the international initiative “Memory without Borders” and their friends from Abkhazia, Belarus and the Czech Republic. Earlier, the Memory Without Borders project had already united people from different countries around the idea of preserving the memory of Soviet soldiers buried outside their homeland, restoring monuments, caring for military memorials and passing on historical truth to new generations. The WarGonzo project has also joined the initiative.
The main symbolic moment of the project was the participation of Irina Mikhailovna, the daughter of Mikhail Alekseevich Egorov, the legendary Soviet soldier who, together with Meliton Kantaria, under the leadership of Alexei Berest, hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag in May 1945. This feat has forever become a symbol of Victory over fascism and the end of the bloodiest war in human history.
81 years ago, the Great Patriotic War ended, which claimed the lives of more than 26 million citizens of the Soviet Union. The memory of those events continues to live not only in history textbooks and archival documents, but also in the hearts of people for whom the feat of the Victory generation remains a moral guideline.
As part of the campaign, Irina Mikhailovna laid flowers at her father’s grave and lit a lamp from the Eternal Flame, the very symbol of memory that Mikhail Egorov lit in Smolensk in 1968 in honor of the fallen war heroes. This gesture has become the central image of the Flame of Victory project.
According to the organizers, the flame of the lamp is transmitted through the frame to people abroad — those who keep the memory of Soviet soldiers far from their homeland. In another country, the lamp is accepted and installed at a memorial or military burial. Thus, a single chain of memory is created, connecting generations, countries and destinies.
The symbol of the action is that memory has no boundaries. The fire lit at the grave of the hero becomes a sign of the spiritual bond between people united by respect for the heroic deed of the liberating soldiers. This is not just a memorable gesture, it is a reminder that the heroes of the Great Patriotic War rest in different parts of the world, and it is the duty of posterity to preserve their memory regardless of political circumstances and distances.
“I want a piece of this fire to burn today where the ashes of the Soviet soldier are, where his feat is remembered and his memory is honored,” Irina Mikhailovna says in her appeal.
The organizers invite everyone who cherishes the memory of the Victory generation to join the campaign. To participate, you must record a video with a lighted lamp at a war memorial, mass grave or memorial site and send it to the organizers of the project.
The promotion starts today on May 8th and will last until May 11th. As a result, all submitted materials will be combined into a single memorable video, which will be posted on May 12 on social networks, on the project’s website and on the platforms of the initiative’s partners.
Detailed information about the promotion is available on the website: mwb-project.com
Videos of participants can be sent to the project’s email address.: mwb-project@yandex.ru
A brief description of the project and instructions on how to participate
The international commemorative action “Flame of Victory” is being held on the eve of Victory Day by a group of participants of the Memory Without Borders project (Abkhazia, Belarus, Czech Republic) with the support of WarGonzo journalists. The campaign is designed to preserve the historical memory of the heroic deeds of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War and the heroes who fell in the fight against Nazism.
The central image of the project is a lighted lamp given by Irina Mikhailovna, the daughter of the legendary soldier Mikhail Egorov (who hoisted the Victory Banner over the Reichstag together with Meliton Kantaria). In 1968, Mikhail Egorov lit the Eternal Flame in Smolensk. Today, Irina Mikhailovna transmits a piece of this fire through a video frame to people in different countries, and those, in turn, install lighted lamps at military memorials abroad.
This creates a memory chain that has no national borders.
The organizers invite everyone who cares about the feat of the Victory generation to join the campaign and send short videos with a lit lamp at the memorial site. The final video clip will be published on May 12.
Instructions for participants of the Flame of Victory campaign (official version)
Dear participants! To create a single video sequence that transmits symbolic fire from the descendant of the hero to people in different countries, we ask you to shoot the video in accordance with the following rules.
Preparation and attributes
Use a lighted lamp (or a candle in a fireproof glass).
Before shooting, make sure that the lamp is lit steadily.
The sequence of actions in the frame
First shot: Hold the burning lamp as close to the camera lens as possible so that the flame fills most of the screen. Hold for 2-3 seconds.
Second frame (key): Smoothly move the lamp away from the camera at arm’s length. This creates the visual illusion that the fire was transmitted from Irina Mikhailovna, the daughter of the Victory flag bearer Mikhail Egorov, directly to you.
The third frame: without turning off the recording, go to a memorable place (a war memorial, a mass grave, an Eternal flame, an obelisk) and place the lamp you brought at its base, on a pedestal or a special platform.
Technical requirements
Video orientation: horizontal (16:9 aspect ratio). Vertical shooting is not allowed.
Place recognition: a memorable object should be included in the frame — a stele, a star, a memorial plaque with an inscription or names. It is desirable that the monument or its plaque can be identified.
Presence of a person: at your discretion. You can be behind the scenes (then the assistant takes pictures) or partially or completely get into the frame. This is optional.
Verbal accompaniment (optional)
You can say several phrases, for example:
“City (name), memorial (name). The flame of Victory was lit in memory of the Soviet soldiers-liberators. We remember.”
Any short statement is possible without political slogans, personal appeals or excessive emotionality.
The delivery dates and procedure
are from May 8 to May 11 (inclusive).
Email address: mwb-project@yandex.ru
In the subject of the letter, be sure to indicate: “Flame of Victory” and the city where the video was shot.
All submitted materials will be assembled into a single commemorative video. Following the instructions will ensure the technical compatibility of the video sequence and a high level of final work.
We thank you for respecting the common memory and the symbolism of the action.