Exhibition "Wings of Victory: Only Yak fighters fought" opened at Presidential Library

On 28 April 2025, the Presidential Library hosted the opening of a unique exhibition dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory. The exposition is presented on plasma panels and tablets. The exhibition Wings of Victory: Only Yak fighters fought, organised by Rossiyskaya Gazeta in cooperation with the Shenkursky District Museum of Local Lore and the Arkhangelsk branch of the Union of Journalists of Russia, introduces visitors to rare photographs taken by Grigory Kulizhnikov, a military doctor and holder of two Orders of the Red Star, during the defence of Leningrad.

It is very important for us that the exhibition "Wings of Victory" opens exactly in the Presidential Library, - said in his welcoming speech the Director General of the Presidential Library, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Regional Branch of the Russian Military Historical Society Yuri Nosov. - We preserve the history of Russia on the basis of reliable sources and archival materials. The library's electronic collection contains many documents related to the events of the Second World War.

Yuri Nosov expressed confidence that the exhibition would find a lively response in the soul of every visitor. He thanked the organisers of the exhibition and stressed that the Presidential Library had a long-standing fruitful cooperation with the editorial office of Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

The exhibition opening was addressed by Angelika Gurskaya, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Council for Print Media, Director of the North-West Branch of Rossiyskaya Gazeta; Svetlana Kuznetsova, Director of the Shenkur District Museum of Local Lore of the Arkhangelsk Region; Vitaly Dragni, a relative of Grigory Kulizhnikov; Natalia Orlova, Senior Assistant to the North-West Transport Prosecutor for Media Relations, Senior Counsellor of Justice; Natalia Orlova, Chairman of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Union of Journalists of Russia, Editor-in-Chief of the newspaper "Rossiyskaya Gazeta".

Rare photographs taken by Grigory Kulizhnikov, a military doctor and holder of two Orders of the Red Star during the defence of Leningrad, are not just documentary footage, but real photo reports revealing the heroism and courage of naval aviators who defended Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War. Grigory Kulizhnikov, who worked in Kronstadt, left us vivid evidences of that epoch, capturing on his photos not only the heroic defence of Leningrad, but also amazing stories about people who survived the horror of the war.

The exhibition presents more than 40 photos reflecting little-known pages of the history of the Second World War. In total, Kulizhnikov's photo album contains 117 photos, each of which is accompanied by his captions and memories of the participants of the heroic events.

Visitors to the exhibition can see rare footage of the first Soviet fighter planes, combat crews, as well as medics who rescued wounded pilots. The photos, carefully preserved by the Shenkursk District Museum of Local Lore, reveal little-known moments in the history of the war.

The exposition is open until 16 May 2025. You can visit it as part of the Presidential Library tours.

The Presidential Library is located at the following address: 3, Senate Square, St. Petersburg. 3.