The message reads, in part:
“For years, your large-scale nationwide initiative has united caring, determined individuals who feel a profound, personal connection to our Motherland’s destiny and carry a deep sense of responsibility to our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers – the generations that defeated Nazism and militarism. Your mission to safeguard our historical memory and uphold the truth about the heroic events of the Great Patriotic War is as vital as ever.
The Russian Search Movement spans our vast country, from its western frontiers to its borders in the Far East. Through your patriotic and awareness-raising initiatives, you serve the noble cause of uncovering new, previously unknown pages of our Fatherland’s military history and ensuring the names of the fallen heroes are never forgotten. Such tireless and painstaking work deserves our deepest gratitude.
I am confident that this meeting, held in the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, will be a time to reflect on your accomplishments and to chart the goals for the next search season.”