On August 29, the Alley of Memory of the 6th Company of 104th Guards Parachute Regiment was opened in Novocheboksarsk. 20 years ago, the 6th Company, 2nd Battalion, 104th Guards Parachute Regiment, 76th Guards Airborne Division, went into battle with a vastly superior force of Chechen fighters and Arab mercenaries on Hill 776. For two days, the insurgents had been trying to break through the paratroopers' defenses; 84 soldiers of the 6th and 4th Companies were killed in the battle. 13 officers and 8 soldiers were posthumously awarded the highest title, Hero of the Russian Federation.
The opening ceremony was attended by other Heroes: to the applause of audience, the red ribbon was cut by three officers, whose chests were decorated with gold stars: FSB Lieutenant-General Nikolay Gavrilov, Major-General, Commander of the 234th Regiment of the 76th Chernigov Red Banner Guards Airborne Division Gevork Isakhanyan, and Guard Colonel, Vice President of the Russian Association of Heroes Vyacheslav Sivko.
The ceremony was attended by the State Duma Deputies (Anatoly Aksakov, Nikolay Malov, Igor Molyakov, and Alyona Arshinova), State Secretary, Deputy Chairman of DOSAAF of Russia, Lieutenant-General of Airborne Force Nikolay Staskov, Head of Novocheboksarsk Administration Olga Cheprasova, and many other representatives of both security agencies and executive authorities.
The Alley of Memory starts with a granite stele, with plates installed on both sides with portraits of killed paratroopers and a brief description of their biography and exploits.
To commemorate and honor the fallen soldiers, flowers were laid at the new memorial: a basket of flowers was laid on behalf of the Acting Head of the Chuvash Republic Oleg Nikolaev by First Deputy Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers of the Chuvash Republic, Minister of Finance of the Chuvash Republic Mikhail Nozdryakov, and Novocheboksarsk cadets laid a floral wreath. The memory of the heroes-paratroopers was honored by a minute of silence and rifle salutes.
After opening the memorial, a roundtable “Social Responsibility of National Business in the Year of Remembrance and Glory” was held. Andrey Furashov, Chairman of the Management Board of EKRA Group, spoke about patriotic projects implemented or planned by EKRA Group in the Year of Memory and Glory. Much was said about social projects in the political context and about social responsibility of business, its interaction with NGOs and the state.
Also, as part of the student discussion club project “Dialogue on Equal Ground,” a meeting was held between Major-General Gevork Isakhanyan, Commander of the 234th Regiment of the 76th Chernigov Red Banner Guards Airborne Division, Guards Colonel Vyacheslav Sivko, Vice President of the Russian Association of Heroes, and cadets of the Chuvash Republic.
Military commanders shared their memories of their student years in Ryazan Guards Higher Airborne Command School and drew special attention of the cadets to the fact that physical training is most important for entering the military school.
The guests noted that the opening of the Alley of Memory is a major event, and such large-scale patriotic initiatives are much-needed today. They promote personal growth, education of boys and girls on the basis of high values of citizenship, love for the country, and respect for its heroes. Youth education defines whether Russia will be able to preserve itself and grow, stay on top of trends, be future-oriented, and develop effectively in today's challenging environment. The social responsibility of business as a driver of such events and its support are very important in this matter. Therefore, the motto of the Russian Airborne Force is more relevant than ever: “Who, if not us?”
