A 96-year-old veteran asks for a present for Victory Day - a new road to the Kireyevo village

Oleg Goryunov

The editorial office of Novie Izvestia received a letter from the worried relative of the World War II veteran Nina Belyakova:

“The life in the village, as you understand, is not easy, but the administration of the Volgograd region, in my opinion, is simply mocking the veteran and the entire district. They didn’t repair the road 30 km from the regional center (Olkhovka) for 30 years. Last year, after numerous appeals the administration of the Transport and Road Administration Committee of the Volgograd Region began the so-called repair, which they do in the end: fill holes with patches or pour new ones on the old asphalt, as a result the road is crooked, it’s difficult to drive, car shakes! An ambulance just won’t be able to it’s okay to drive the veteran to the hospital if something happens! I’m not talking just about the veteran’s trips, for example, to the regional center for a concert on May 9. It’s just outrageous that the Administration of the Volgograd Region cannot repair normally 30 km of the road " .

We asked Nina to send us photos of the road and to contact us by phone with the veteran himself.

Despite a very respectable age of 96 years, Vladimir Yakovlevich told us in detail about his military path and road:

"I was a member of a tank crew, a participant in the Battle of Stalingrad, and now I’ll tell you as a tank soldier: it's only possible to go by tank on such a road, understand me? A new road - that would be a present for all of us on May 9th. We have a big village - 900 people live here, so the road for everyone would be a real gift, not for myself personally. For how long should we all suffer? I’ll die soon, so anyway I won’t be able to have a chance to see a smooth road?"

The face and hands of the veteran of the Great Patriotic War have traces of battles, in one of which his tank was hit. Vladimir Yakovlevich was the only who survived and got out of the machine...

The site of the Kereyevsky rural settlement has a section dedicated to veterans, here's what you can learn about Sergeant Kadykov there firsthand:

- How huge the soldier pride was when the Soviet armies joined in 1943 near Kalach. Stalingrad won! Our corps was renamed the 3rd Guards Stalingrad Mechanized Corps. And the fee laid for this title, we transferred to the restoration of the school number 16, destroyed in the days of the battle, in the Krasnookryabrsky district of Stalingrad. A museum was opened in the rebuilt school and it has material about our building. I visited there a few years ago ....

After the war, guard sergeant Kadykov returned to his native village, worked on the collective farm while he had the strength. He raised four sons with his wife Claudia Sergeevna, and now they are waiting for a “present” from the authorities for the 75th anniversary of the Victory.

By the way, now there are many different conversations about the celebration, whether or not there will be a Parade on Red Square.

The possibility of holding the "Immortal Regiment" campaign is also being discussed.

Gennady Ivanov, co-chair of the Central Headquarters of the Immortal Regiment of Russia, Ltd. believes that it would be wrong to cancel the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the year:

“On May 9, on the windows of many cars, you can see the stickers“ Thank you, grandfather, for the Victory!”. Great? Of course. It seems that there’s nothing to complain about. But one thing always bothers me: what kind of grandfather say thanks? Why is he nameless? attach a photo of a specific “grandfather” on the rear window next to the sticker, indicating his last name, first name and patronymic. Is it difficult? For many years I’ve been trying to convey this to motorists - so far there hasn’t been much progress ... This will in no way become an alternative march of the columns of the Immortal Regiment, on the contrary, if the situation with the coronavirus develops successfully, it will become an additional honor for those who saved the country from fascist evil. If anyone thought that instead of a human stream with portraits it is suggested that the stream of cars is not so. usually cars on the streets, in yards, in parking lots. One thing is unusual: the winners are watching us! ”

Gennady Ivanov sent us to the editorial office even the photo examples of such an idea:

Good idea, you can’t say anything, and it will certainly be supported by many Russians.

Just how to get there 30 km. in a car decorated with photographs of the 96-year-old guard sergeant on the front-line road to Kadykov’s grandfather to congratulate his relatives on the holiday and not be ashamed that the veteran’s dream of a new road did not come true?