An event dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of Vera Semyonovna Kulagina, a participant in the Great Patriotic War, was held in Vitebsk.
The event was attended by representatives of regional, city, and district authorities, as well as members of the board, chairpersons of primary organizations, and members of the youth wing of the Vitebsk City Organization of the public association "Belarusian Women's Union."
It is no coincidence that the event took place at Gymnasium No. 9 in Vitebsk named after Afanasy Beloborodov, as Vera Semyonovna's great-grandson, Daniel El-Zahri El-Yafi, studies in its 7th "B" grade. The boy is actively involved in research activities and has written several papers related to the life history of his great-grandmother, which have repeatedly won at various conferences, including international ones.
– My mother told me about how kind her grandmother was, about her feats and life after the war. This greatly interested me, so I started research activities, – said Daniel. – I am very proud of my great-grandmother. Studying her biography, I was particularly struck by the fact that she led a group of the party-patriotic underground. It's interesting that she was called "The Fox" because she could obtain any information and get out of the most difficult situations, and that my great-grandmother is an Honorary Citizen of the city of Vitebsk.
The Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, also shared his childhood impressions of meeting Vera Kulagina. He recalled that when he first came to Vitebsk with his family in 1974, as a child, he remembered only two things: that ice cream was sold in scoops in Vitebsk and meeting Vera Semyonovna.
– My second cousin once removed said she needed to meet a friend. We stopped on Uritsky Street, and that's when I first met Vera Semyonovna. We talked for a very short time, but her kind face, smile, and laughter were vividly imprinted in my childhood memory, – said Vladimir Terentyev. – In the 1980s, I saw her photograph while visiting the Museum named after Minay Shmyrev, learned about her partisan past, and was very proud to have known her.. And at the end of the 90s, when Vera Semyonovna was a deputy of the city council, a member of the city committee, and the chairperson of the Vitebsk city organization of the public association "Belarusian Women's Union", I remember her as one of the most active leaders and a person who truly made a great contribution to the city's development.
The head of the deputy corps also thanked the organizers of the event – the Vitebsk city organization of the PA "BWS" – for continuing to preserve the memory of Vera Kulagina and instilling these traditions in the younger generation.
– With our example, we must show true service to our Fatherland, be strong, courageous, love our family and Motherland. The foundation of our country's statehood is independence and sovereignty, and through historical memory – peace and creation, therefore we must preserve the history of our heroes and country, passing it down from generation to generation. The future of our organization depends on how active we are today, – noted the chairperson of the Vitebsk city organization of the PA "BWS" Natalia Kultenko. – Our city organization confirms that the "Belarusian Women's Union" is ahead of the pack, because all these years we have remained true to our word – to grow by 30 primary organizations annually. This year, we have gone further – we have created 3 district and 44 primary organizations in the city of Vitebsk. Therefore, in our city, there are now about 150 primary organizations, which means over four and a half thousand women, and I believe this is the beginning of a good path when we unite into a great force that will make itself known through good deeds and initiatives.
Natalia Kultenko presented commemorative gifts as part of the honoring of newly created organizational structures. Among them is the primary organization of media representatives of the city of Vitebsk of the PA "BWS", which was created on the basis of our newspaper – "Vitebskie Vesti".
