Films and lectures of Presidential Library dedicated to Defender of Fatherland Day

From February 15 to 28, the TV channel section of the Presidential Library will host a series of films and video lectures on various topics. These include meetings with heroes of the Great Patriotic War, stories about Soviet weapons that helped our army achieve victory, little-known facts about the life of famous naval commander Fyodor Ushakov, and spelling rules.

On February 15, viewers can watch the documentary Symbols of Presidential Power, which tells the story of the creation of the Flag and Badge of the President of the Russian Federation and the inauguration ceremony. This film was created to coincide with the anniversary of the establishment of the Presidential Standard as a symbol of power. The decree establishing the Standard was signed by President of Russia on February 15, 1994.

Russian Mother Tongue Day, celebrated on February 21st, will provide users with video lectures on the history of Cyrillic writing and the beginning of printing in Russia. The lectures will explore the Power Book, the values of Russian linguistic worldviews, as well as the importance of encyclopedias, dictionaries, and reference books. The speakers will also discuss new and old spelling rules and the Russian language during the Soviet era and in the era of globalization.

On February 23, on Defender of the Fatherland Day, viewers will have the opportunity to watch a video recording of a meeting with Mikhail Mikhailovich Bobrov, an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg. The meeting took place in 2017 as part of the educational project Knowledge of Russia: Video Lecture by the Presidential Library. During the meeting, Mikhail Mikhailovich shared his story about how he participated in disguising the high-rise landmarks of Leningrad, such as St. Isaac's Cathedral, Peter and Paul Cathedral, St. Nicholas Cathedral, and the Admiralty during the Great Patriotic War. After being evacuated from the besieged city, he fought in the Caucasus with the elite German mountain infantry division "Edelweiss" as an instructor in military mountaineering for the 105th Separate Mountain Rifle Detachment.

Films from the historical channel's collection, 365 Days TV, will tell the stories of the heroes of the Soviet Union. These include the legendary Soviet fighter pilot and three-time Hero of the Soviet Union, Alexander Pokryshkin, the Marshal of Armored Forces and commander of tank and combined arms armies during the Great Patriotic War, Pavel Rybalko, who was also a twice Hero of the Soviet Union; Soviet and Russian aviator and twice Hero of the Soviet Union Alexander Yefimov, and the Soviet military leader and commander of the Red Army Air Force (1942-1946) and twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Alexander Novikov, who held the rank of Chief Marshal of Aviation.

Films dedicated to Soviet weapons used in the battles of the Great Patriotic War and that led our army to victory will also be shown. One of these films is "Katyusha on the shore", which tells the story of how on July 14, 1941, a powerful barrage of fire fell on German units near Orsha, surprising them. Soon, the whole world became aware of the presence of rocket artillery in Red Army units. Multiple rocket launchers, later known as Katyusha rockets, were officially adopted before the war on June 21, 1941.

Rockets could be installed on not only cars, but also airplanes. In addition to other weapons, the Il-2 attack aircraft was equipped with them, which is mentioned in the film IL-2: A Flying Tank. Created at OKB-240 under the leadership of Sergey Vladimirovich Ilyushin, this aircraft performed various tasks: it was used as an attack aircraft, bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, and, in special situations, a fighter. The German forces called the Il-2 "the black death" and "the concrete bomber."

The film PPSh tells the story of the creation and history of the PPSh submachine gun, a symbol of victory. The decree on its adoption by the Soviet army was issued just six months before the start of World War II, in December 1940. The designers soon began to say that the army was saturated with these weapons, which were described as "neat, simple, and trouble-free." It is also known that the Germans, at every opportunity, abandoned their own machine guns and traded them for captured PPShs. The submachine gun quickly became the most widely used weapon in the Red Army.

February 24, 2025 marks the 280th anniversary of the birth of Admiral Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov, a famous naval commander. On this occasion, the Presidential Library's website will host a video lecture titled Devoted to Service With My Soul and All My Fortune...: Fyodor Ushakov and a documentary film from the Russian Historical Channel called The Modest Monastery: The Continuation of History.

The film is about the Nativity of the Virgin Monastery in Sanaksar, founded in 1659 in the Mordovian region, in a pine forest near the Moksha River. Admiral Ushakov was a major benefactor of this monastery, living in one of its cells during his fasting periods and observing the rules of the monastic life on an equal footing with the other monks. He also bequeathed that he should be buried within the monastery walls.

On February 25, the 304th anniversary of the renaming of the Theological College established by Peter the Great into the Holy Governing Synod, the Presidential Library invites you to watch a film that tells about the history of the building where the Synod was located, about the Synodal printing house, the library of the Moscow Theological Seminary, the Synodal Library, about the chief prosecutors and members of the Synod, about the missionary activities of the Synod. The documentary "The Holy Synod" was created by the staff of the Presidential Library, which is located in the historical building of the Synod.

Especially for students, the Presidential Library portal offers video lectures on a variety of topics that complement the school curriculum. One such lecture, titled Knowledge of Russia, explores the main areas of the Presidential Library's collection: the history of the Russian state, law, and the role of Russian as the official language in the Russian Federation. Experts from leading scientific and educational institutions in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other Russian cities deliver these lectures to students.

Films and video lectures are broadcasted on the Presidential Library's portal around the clock in the TV Channel section. Additionally, the schedule for upcoming broadcasts is also available in this section.

Please note that in the Live broadcasts section, the library's events are broadcast live and the program for the upcoming days is published.

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