Valuable photos of the World War II will be available on the Presidential Library website

The year of the 70th anniversary of the Great Victory the Presidential Library collections will be updated with valuable photographs of the World War II. 100 pictures of 1941-1945 will soon become available to a wider audience on the website of the first National Electronic Library of Russia. Material for digitizing was provided by the Military and Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps.

Rare footage depict the events that took place at the forefront, clearly present a picture of the fighting, revealing in each case the dedication, bravery and courage of Soviet soldiers. In addition, the photographs depict the life of ordinary people in wartime. The images to be digitized mainly belong to the photographers of the "LenTASS" agency, as well as direct participants in hostilities.

The photos captured the major battles of the World War II: The Battle of Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sevastopol, Moscow. We can see real, genuine feelings and emotions. In the eyes of men there is no fear, they defend their homeland with courage, fighting for every scrap of land.

In particular focus are the soldiers of the Leningrad Front and the life in Leningrad during the siege. One of the photos is the most striking: "Workers of the city of Lenin on defense construction." People are digging an anti-tank ditch with shovels. Other photograph depicts Leningrad residents during the siege, gathered near the loudspeaker and intently listening to the latest news from the front. There is an inscription: "On the streets of the city. Leningrad residents listen to the latest news."  Another photograph taken in Leningrad during the Great Patriotic War is entitled: "Division of machine gunners on the streets." Warriors with rifles are marching across St. Isaac's Square, behind them rises proudly the famous St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Neither cold nor difficult conditions at the front or wounds would stop the Soviet soldiers on the way to victory. One of the photos shows the fighters of the Narva sector of the Leningrad Front, who were injured fighting for a village of Komarovo. But "none of the gunners left the gun, continuing to fire at the enemy," says the inscription on the back of the photograph. The other picture shows the delivery of meals to firing positions south of Lake Ilmen. In a large flood there is a track of logs and the soldiers make their way through it, holding a submachine gun in one hand and a bucket of food in the other.

Several pictures show the Leningrad region after the retreat of the enemy. Among them: "In the footsteps of the retreating Germans," "A settlement set on fire by retreating German bandits" and others.

The photos also depict the long-awaited Victory Day. Red Square is full of people. Their faces express sincere joy, their eyes are wet with tears of happiness. These valuable pictures capture a living history of our country. In the near future, the photos will join the Presidential Library collection "The Memory of the Great Victory." By now it includes more than 20,000 materials.