Count Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy was born on August 28, 1828 on his father's estate Yasnaya Polyana, in the Tula province. Tolstoy is an old Russian noble family; one representative of this family, the head of Peter's secret police Peter Tolstoy, was promoted to count. Tolstoy's mother was born Princess Volkonskaya. His father and mother served as prototypes for Nikolai Rostov and Princess Marya in War and peace(see summary and analysis of this novel). They belonged to the highest Russian aristocracy, and their family affiliation with the upper stratum of the ruling class sharply distinguishes Tolstoy from other writers of his time. He never forgot about her (even when this realization of his became completely negative), always remained an aristocrat and kept aloof from the intelligentsia.

Leo Tolstoy's childhood and adolescence passed between Moscow and Yasnaya Polyana, in big family, where there were several brothers. He left unusually vivid memories of his early environment, his relatives and servants, in wonderful autobiographical notes that he wrote for his biographer P. I. Biryukov. His mother died when he was two years old, his father when he was nine years old. His further upbringing was in charge of his aunt, Mademoiselle Ergolskaya, who presumably served as the prototype for Sonya in War and peace.

Leo Tolstoy in his youth. Photo from 1848

In 1844, Tolstoy entered Kazan University, where he first studied oriental languages ​​and then law, but in 1847 he left the university without receiving a diploma. In 1849, he settled in Yasnaya Polyana, where he tried to become useful to his peasants, but soon realized that his efforts were of no use because he lacked knowledge. IN student years and after leaving the university, he, as was common among young people of his class, led a chaotic life, filled with the pursuit of pleasure - wine, cards, women - somewhat similar to the life that Pushkin led before his exile to the south. But Tolstoy was unable to accept life as it is with a light heart. From the very beginning, his diary (existing since 1847) testifies to an unquenchable thirst for mental and moral justification of life, a thirst that forever remained the guiding force of his thought. This same diary was the first experience in developing that technique psychological analysis, which later became Tolstoy’s main literary weapon. His first attempt to try himself in a more purposeful and creative type of writing dates back to 1851.

The tragedy of Leo Tolstoy. Documentary

In the same year, disgusted with his empty and useless Moscow life, he went to the Caucasus to join the Terek Cossacks, where he joined the garrison artillery as a cadet (junker means a volunteer, a volunteer, but of noble birth). The next year (1852) he finished his first story ( Childhood) and sent it to Nekrasov for publication in Contemporary. Nekrasov immediately accepted it and wrote about it to Tolstoy in very encouraging tones. The story was an immediate success, and Tolstoy immediately rose to prominence in literature.

At the battery, Leo Tolstoy led a rather easy and unburdensome life as a cadet with means; the place to stay was also nice. He had a lot of free time most which he spent on hunting. In the few fights in which he had to participate, he performed very well. In 1854 he received officer rank and at his request was transferred to the army fighting the Turks in Wallachia (see Crimean War), where he took part in the siege of Silistria. In the autumn of the same year he joined the Sevastopol garrison. There Tolstoy saw real war. He took part in the defense of the famous Fourth Bastion and in the Battle of the Black River and ridiculed bad command in a satirical song - the only work of his in verse known to us. In Sevastopol he wrote famous Sevastopol stories that appeared in Contemporary, when the siege of Sevastopol was still ongoing, which greatly increased interest in their author. Soon after leaving Sevastopol, Tolstoy went on vacation to St. Petersburg and Moscow, and the next year he left the army.

Only in these years, after Crimean War, Tolstoy communicated with literary world. The writers of St. Petersburg and Moscow greeted him as an outstanding master and brother. As he later admitted, success greatly flattered his vanity and pride. But he did not get along with the writers. He was too much of an aristocrat for this semi-bohemian intelligentsia to please him. They were too awkward plebeians for him, and they were indignant that he clearly preferred the light to their company. On this occasion, he and Turgenev exchanged caustic epigrams. On the other hand, his very mentality was not to the heart of progressive Westerners. He did not believe in progress or culture. In addition, his dissatisfaction with the literary world intensified due to the fact that his new works disappointed them. Everything he wrote after childhood, did not show any movement towards innovation and development, and Tolstoy's critics failed to understand the experimental value of these imperfect works (see the article Tolstoy's Early Work for more details). All this contributed to his cessation of relations with the literary world. The culmination was a noisy quarrel with Turgenev (1861), whom he challenged to a duel, and then apologized for it. This whole story is very typical, and it revealed the character of Leo Tolstoy, with his hidden embarrassment and sensitivity to insults, with his intolerance for the imaginary superiority of other people. The only writers with whom he maintained friendly relations were the reactionary and “land lord” Fet (in whose house the quarrel with Turgenev broke out) and the Slavophile democrat Strakhov- people who were completely unsympathetic to the main trend of progressive thought of that time.

Tolstoy spent the years 1856–1861 between St. Petersburg, Moscow, Yasnaya Polyana and abroad. He traveled abroad in 1857 (and again in 1860–1861) and learned from there disgust at the selfishness and materialism of European society. bourgeois civilization. In 1859 he opened a school for peasant children in Yasnaya Polyana and in 1862 began publishing a pedagogical magazine Yasnaya Polyana , in which he surprised the progressive world with the assertion that it is not the intellectuals who should teach the peasants, but rather the peasants who should teach the intellectuals. In 1861 he accepted the post of mediator, a post created to oversee the implementation of the emancipation of the peasants. But the unsatisfied thirst for moral strength continued to torment him. He abandoned the revelry of his youth and began to think about marriage. In 1856 he made the first unsuccessful attempt marry (Arsenyeva). In 1860, he was deeply shocked by the death of his brother Nicholas - this was his first encounter with the inevitable reality of death. Finally, in 1862, after much hesitation (he was convinced that since he was old - thirty-four years old! - and ugly, no woman would love him), Tolstoy proposed to Sofya Andreevna Bers, and it was accepted. They got married in September of that year.

Marriage is one of the two main milestones in Tolstoy's life; the second milestone was his appeal. He was always haunted by one concern - how to justify his life before his conscience and achieve lasting moral well-being. When he was a bachelor, he oscillated between two opposing desires. The first was a passionate and hopeless striving for that integral and unreasoning, “natural” state that he found among the peasants and especially among the Cossacks, in whose village he lived in the Caucasus: this state does not strive for self-justification, for it is free from self-consciousness, this justification demanding. He tried to find such an unquestioning state in conscious submission to animal impulses, in the lives of his friends and (and here he was closest to achieving it) in his favorite pastime - hunting. But he was unable to be satisfied with this forever, and another equally passionate desire - to find a rational justification for life - led him astray every time it seemed to him that he had already achieved contentment with himself. Marriage was his gateway to a more stable and lasting “state of nature.” It was a self-justification of life and a solution to a painful problem. Family life, its unreasoning acceptance and submission to it, henceforth became his religion.

For the first fifteen years of his married life, Tolstoy lived in a blissful state of contented vegetation, with a pacified conscience and a hushed need for higher rational justification. The philosophy of this plant conservatism is expressed with enormous creative force in War and peace(see summary and analysis of this novel). IN family life he was extremely happy. Sofya Andreevna, almost still a girl when he married her, easily became what he wanted to make her; he explained his new philosophy, and she was her indestructible stronghold and unchanging guardian, which ultimately led to the breakup of the family. The writer's wife turned out to be ideal wife, mother and mistress of the house. In addition, she became a devoted assistant to her husband in literary work - everyone knows that she rewrote seven times War and Peace from the beginning to the end. She gave birth to Tolstoy many sons and daughters. She had no personal life: she was all lost in family life.

Thanks to Tolstoy sound management estates (Yasnaya Polyana was simply a place of residence; income was generated by a large Trans-Volga estate) and the sale of his works, the family’s fortune increased, as did the family itself. But Tolstoy, although absorbed and satisfied with his self-justifying life, although he glorified it with unsurpassed artistic power in his best novel, was still not able to completely dissolve in family life, as his wife dissolved. “Life in Art” also did not absorb him as much as his brothers. The worm of moral thirst, although reduced to a tiny size, never died. Tolstoy was constantly concerned with questions and demands of morality. In 1866 he defended (unsuccessfully) before a military court a soldier accused of striking an officer. In 1873 he published articles about public education, on the basis of which an astute critic Mikhailovsky was able to predict the further development of his ideas.

At the very beginning of May, all the thoughts and intentions of millions of people in the territory of the former USSR turn towards great date, 9th May. We will never forget this day, as it marked the end of our time. It took the lives of many of our fellow citizens, separated millions of families and brought so much grief that living participants in those events cannot remember this time without tears.

Many heroes were forgotten. We probably won't know where their last fight was. There are also those whose names will forever remain on monuments and in hearts. Among the heroes there are not only people, but also great cities that in those terrible years withstood the fierce onslaught of the Nazis, or resisted their pressure for many months.

What it is?

This is a high title that was received by twelve cities of the USSR, famous for their history of defense. Monuments and steles have been erected on their territory, which are designed to always remind the townspeople of the unparalleled heroic feat of their people.

We must remember that the hero cities of the Great Patriotic War, whose photos and names are in the article, paid for their high rank with great blood, since they received it for the unparalleled courage of the defenders during the defense in the most difficult years.

St. Petersburg (Leningrad)

At the very beginning of autumn, the Germans were able to completely block the city's supply from land. The blockade of Leningrad began, which lasted for almost 872 long, hungry days. Almost all residents of the city are heroes. The photo “Leningrad in the Siege” still brings horror and mortal melancholy even to seasoned front-line soldiers, let alone the direct participants in those events.

The courage of its inhabitants was unparalleled: in completely inhumane conditions, they not only fought the invaders, but even managed to organize the production of weapons, which were immediately used on the front line, literally behind the factory buildings. Today, it is believed that about one and a half million people have died from hunger and disease.

Only 3% fell with weapons in their hands. Hunger did the rest. Today every schoolchild knows that the only way to salvation was the “Road of Life”, which passed through ice that froze for the winter Lake Ladoga. However, in summer time transportation by water transport was carried out, but their volumes were not so large. This was truly the path of Life, since along this route 1.5 million people managed to leave the city, among whom were mainly children, women and the elderly. The blockade of the city was finally lifted only in 1944.

What do you imagine when you pronounce the phrase “hero cities of the Great Patriotic War”? Photos, monuments at battle sites and much more. But the blockade survivors may even cry at these words, as other, terrible pictures of those years appear before their eyes.

In memory of those terrible days, seven monuments were erected, as well as exactly 112 memorial pillars along the entire length of the Road of Life. The central monument of the composition is the “Broken Ring” monument, which symbolizes the final breakthrough of the blockade and the liberation of Leningrad. Of course, all the great cities of the Great Patriotic War are worthy of respect, but the sacrifice of the Leningraders should always be remembered.

Odessa

The title was also awarded in May 1965.

Odessa became one of the first cities that found itself on the path of the fascist invaders. By August 1941, despite the unparalleled courage of its defenders, it was completely blocked. The only route left was by sea, protected by many ships of the Black Sea Fleet. Not only a huge amount of food came from the sea, but also weapons that made it possible to fight off the advancing enemy troops.

In order to more effectively defend against the ever-increasing attacks of the Germans, an entire fortified area was created. Residents of the city managed to produce, under difficult conditions, the simplest armored vehicles and flamethrowers, which were immediately at the disposal of the fighters. The defenders of Odessa had to leave the city, but they left, not broken or conquered: subsequently many detachments were formed from them, just as steadfastly and with the same courage they defended Crimea from the Nazis.

Currently, the monument, which is dedicated to the events of those days, is installed in the park named after Taras Shevchenko. More precisely, it is a whole memorial Complex“Walk of Fame”, which forever captured for descendants the feat of their great ancestors. In general, all the great cities of the Great Patriotic War have similar memorial places.

Sevastopol

The title was awarded in the same period as the above cities.

Crimea has always had the most important strategic importance for the country, since it was through its territory that the shortest route to the oil fields of the Caucasus ran. It is not surprising that from the first days of the war, the Wehrmacht command gave its legions a simple order: at all costs, as soon as possible capture and cleanse Sevastopol. The USSR command also had no illusions on this score: a significant part of the aircraft were located in Crimea, which could not be left to be torn to pieces by the enemy. It was necessary to defend the city for as long as possible.

The best detachments, which at one time opposed the enemy in Odessa, were immediately sent to defend. They also formed a core whose members were active throughout the Crimean Peninsula. Unfortunately, in July next year the city still had to be abandoned.

However, the Germans did not feel too confident in the captured city, since their forces were constantly being torn apart by the partisans. Sevastopol was completely liberated in May 1944. The medal “For the Defense of Sevastopol” has always been considered elite in the ranks of the Red Army, since the exploits of those who defended this long-standing monument to the military glory of Russia and the USSR were great.

In order to forever imprint these days in the memory of descendants, a monument was erected on Sapun Mountain. This place was the key to the city, the most important defensive position, where a huge number of Soviet and German soldiers. However, all other hero cities of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 can be characterized in the same way.

Volgograd (Stalingrad)

The title was also awarded on May 8, 1965. When the terrible Battle of Stalingrad took place, during which the Soviet army was able to break the back of Hitler’s troops, this city was the battlefield. For 200 days there was an incessant, bloody battle for every meter of urban space, every house was turned into an impregnable fortress.

In the month that it took the Nazis to capture Poland at one time, the Germans were able to capture a couple of streets in Stalingrad, while suffering terrible losses. The intensity of the fighting was terrible, both sides successfully and widely used snipers.

On the famous Mamayev Kurgan there is a monumental complex “To the Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad”, at the very top of which stands a gigantic monument to the Motherland, which will always be a symbol of the love and devotion of our people to their Motherland. Our article contains not only the hero cities of the Great Patriotic War: pictures and photos of monuments will help you feel the monumentality of those places.

Kyiv

The order conferring the rank was also signed on May 8, 1965. It should be noted that the new Ukrainian authorities have now “cancelled” it. However, they were not the ones who defended Kyiv, they were not the ones who liberated Kiev. So it is not for them to issue “orders to abolish the status of a hero city.”

The defensive operation lasted exactly 70 days. The occupation of the city by German troops dragged on for 2.5 years. During this time, the Germans and their nationalist hangers-on managed to do a lot of “work”: Jews were shot en masse, a concentration camp for Soviet prisoners of war, in which thousands of our soldiers died.

Many historical and architectural monuments were destroyed, and many priceless exhibits from museums disappeared without a trace. Of course, many residents of Kyiv took part in the partisan movement and tried with all their might to protect hometown from the tyranny of the Nazis. But only after the hardest winter battles of 1943 was it completely liberated from the forces of German troops. Note that both hero cities of Ukraine (of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945) were almost completely destroyed, and it took a very long time to restore them.

Like Volgograd, it has its own Motherland monument.

Fortress in Brest

Legendary monument to courage and valor Soviet soldiers. The title was also awarded only in May 1965. We have already mentioned many hero cities of the Great Patriotic War: a list of them can be obtained by simply skimming the subheadings of the article. But Brest is absolutely special place, which I could talk about for a very long time.

Many people know about the defense of this fortress from the piercing and scary book Boris Vasiliev. But from the book we cannot understand what people felt and what they expected, who knew perfectly well about the impossibility of salvation, who were hourly losing their comrades and loved ones. With all this, they did not even think about surrendering to the enemy. The battle in Brest is the first in the history of that war, and one of the most significant.

This is completely unsurprising. German troops planned to take the city on the move, and then “victoriously march” to continue moving to the East. They miscalculated badly. For several days, a group of Soviet soldiers desperately defended even the approaches to the fortress, preventing the Germans from entering its boundaries. Brutal shootings did not stop even at night.

The soldiers, terribly tired, dying of thirst and hunger, resisted the enemy until the last second. “I’m dying, but I’m not giving up” - this famous inscription on one of the walls of the Fortress fully shows the real mood of our soldiers in that terrible situation. last battle. The Germans eventually captured the fortress when there were no living defenders left, but they did not feel like victors: while European countries submitted to the German army in a couple of weeks, some pathetic fortress, only on the incredible courage and heroism of its defenders, was able to hold out for a couple of months.

The entire fortress was recognized as an eternal memorial in 1971. It always burns on its territory, always paying tribute to the memory of the fallen soldiers of the Soviet army.

Moscow

As in all previous cases, the title was awarded in May 1965. Almost everyone knows the hero cities of the Great Patriotic War to one degree or another. The photo “Moscow, parade of 1941” is also familiar to many. It was from here that fresh troops were sent on a counterattack; it was here that the command headquarters of the Red Army was located.

It is not surprising that from the very beginning of the war the capture of the capital of the USSR was the prerogative German command, and therefore were used for this purpose best troops. The Barbaros plan provided for the conquest of the city in the first three months of the war. But Kyiv, Leningrad and Smolensk put an end to such ambitious plans, postponing the start of the operation to capture the city for six months. The Germans appeared on the approaches to Moscow only in mid-autumn, when the first serious cold weather had already begun.

Our command imposed a war of attrition on them. Until December of that year, the defense of Moscow continued, in which numerous volunteer detachments took part.

Several times the situation became critical. It seemed that the Germans were about to achieve their goal, and Hitler was already preparing to throw a luxurious party in the Kremlin. But on December 5, our troops launched the first effective counteroffensive, as a result of which the Germans were pushed back 200 kilometers from the city limits.

In memory of those events, a memorial was erected in front of the walls of the Moscow Kremlin To the unknown soldier. It must be said that such a monument can be safely erected by all hero cities of the Great Patriotic War, photos of which are in our article.

Kerch

The title was awarded only on September 14, 1973. The city is famous for the fact that the front line passed right through it four (!) times. At least 15 thousand residents died, half of them were brutally shot in the Bagerovo ditch. The Germans took another 15 thousand for forced labor in Germany. Less than 15% of the city remains. Almost all more or less significant buildings were destroyed, and there were no entire buildings left. Only at the beginning of April 1944 was Kerch finally liberated from the Nazi invaders.

On the mountain with beautiful name Mithridates burns the Eternal Flame in honor of those events.

Novorossiysk

The title was also awarded in mid-September 1973. During the war, almost the entire city was captured by German troops. The Nazis’ goal was Georgia, a direct route to which opened immediately after the capture of Novorossiysk.

Everyone understood that such an outcome would allow Hitler to gain a firm foothold in the Caucasus. The powerful Novorossiysk fortified area was created specifically to counter this, but by August 1942 little remained of it (no more than 20%). In February 1943, after 225 days of occupation, Soviet soldiers managed to retake the city.

It is not surprising that the main monument was a memorial called “Line of Defense”. The 40-meter-long stele symbolizes that no villain will be allowed to enter the city gates. Hero of the Great Patriotic War, sniper Rubakho Philip Yakovlevich was also a native of the glorious Novorossiysk.

Minsk

Just three days after the start of the war, the city was under German occupation. On its territory, the “hardworking” Germans created three ghettos at once, in which about 80 thousand Jews were killed. In Minsk itself and its environs, the Nazis killed at least 400 thousand people. Only in June 1944 was a large-scale liberation operation finally launched. By the time the city was completely cleared, only 80 buildings remained intact.

The most significant monument is the “Pit” memorial, which was dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. By the way, this was the first monument in the entire USSR, on the surface of which there are inscriptions in Yiddish.

Tula

The Soviet “weapons forge” was a tasty target for the German command, and therefore it was under no circumstances allowed to allow the city to be captured. In addition, Tula covered the southern borders of Moscow, which made it even more important. Already in the fall of 1941, the local militia repelled the most powerful attacks of the Germans with honor, and the path to the Germans was reliably blocked.

When the Great Patriotic War broke out, the city of Gorky ( Nizhny Novgorod) found himself in approximately the same position. Today activists are trying to achieve this honorary title being awarded to him. However, let's return to Tula.

The city and its surroundings were heavily damaged. Almost all villages were burned, killing at least 360 thousand civilians. Even in conditions of a deep siege, Tula industry continued to produce and sniper rifles. By the way, it was on these defensive lines that the PPK, Korovin’s submachine gun, whose author had been authored for many years, showed itself superbly Soviet power was undeservedly forgotten.

However, old residents of the city remember him well. The hero of the Great Patriotic War was not completely forgotten.

In honor of those events, numerous monuments to military glory were erected throughout the city, and a monument was erected in the form of a soldier and a worker leaning on a rifle bayonet. All hero cities of the Great Patriotic War are famous for their exploits, but even against this background the Tula people stand out for their unbroken will to win.

Murmansk

Hitler's directive to his troops was simple and short: Murmansk was ordered to be destroyed immediately at the start of the war, since many tons of cargo from the Allies passed through its ports. More than 800 massive air raids were carried out, about 186 thousand were dropped on the city powerful bombs, but its defenders withstood this hell with honor. Many cities of the Great Patriotic War went through bombing, but nowhere were there such heavy bombings.

Almost all buildings were burned or heavily damaged. The wooden buildings played a bad role, through which the fire spread with incredible speed. It was only in the fall of 1944 that the threat to the city was completely eliminated. A monument was erected. But this was done only 30 years after the end of the Second World War, when the main hero cities of the Great Patriotic War had long been on the “list of honor”.

Smolensk

The title was also awarded on May 6, 1985, which is extremely strange, since the defenders of the city during the war showed courage disproportionately greater than the same Kievans.

In July 1941, it seemed to the Nazis that the path to the heart of the country was completely open. The main goal was Moscow, and all the cities lying on the route of the German troops were considered just an “annoying obstacle.” Already on June 15, the southern part of the city was occupied, and soon the rest of its areas fell under massive attacks. But this was only the beginning, as the city’s defenders did not even think of giving up.

In mid-July, heavy fighting began and lasted for more than two months. The Soviet troops suffered heavy losses, but the Nazis fared no better. In addition, civilians died en masse: the punitive forces alone destroyed more than 300 villages along with all their inhabitants.

It is assumed that approximately 600 thousand people died, but this figure is clearly greatly underestimated, since search engines continue to find more and more mass graves every year. The city has a museum that contains all the documents and evidence telling about the life of the city in those terrible years.

So we have listed all the great cities of the Great Patriotic War.

An honorary title awarded to the cities of the USSR Moscow, Leningrad, Kyiv, Odessa, Sevastopol, Volgograd, famous for their heroism. defense during the Great Patriotic War of 1941 45. The defense of Moscow lasted from September 30 to September 5... ... Great Soviet Encyclopedia

Five major cities USSR (Kyiv, Leningrad, Odessa, Sevastopol, Volgograd), famous for their heroics. defense during the Great period. Fatherland war 1941 45. The defense of Kyiv lasted from July 10 to September 19. 1941, defense of Leningrad from July 10, 1941 to... ... Soviet historical encyclopedia

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Books

• Hero cities. Demonstration pictures, conversations, Lebedeva A. (ed.-comp.). The “Hero Cities” set is dedicated to the heroic feat of 12 cities and one fortress of the former USSR during the Great Patriotic War! war (1941-1945). . . Laconic texts of pictures...
• Hero Cities: demonstration pictures, conversations, Tsvetkova T.V.. The HERO CITIES set is dedicated to heroic deed 12 cities and one fortress of the former USSR during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945). The laconic texts of the pictures contain: - description...

So, as of 2017, in the Alexander Garden, near the walls of the Kremlin, there are steles of 12 Hero Cities and 1 Hero Fortress, as well as 45 Cities of Military Glory.

As a state award, the title of “hero city” was established on May 8, 1965 by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. This event was timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany and its allies.

However, the first hero cities in the Soviet Union appeared earlier. On May 1, 1945, this title was awarded to Leningrad (St. Petersburg), Stalingrad (Volgograd), Sevastopol and Odessa.

Why is the title “hero city” awarded?

The honorary title of hero city was awarded in the USSR to cities whose residents showed “mass heroism and courage in defending the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945.”

Hero cities were awarded the Order of Lenin, the Gold Star medal and a diploma from the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. Commemorative obelisks were erected in cities, and their banners had to display an order and medal.

For which the cities of the USSR / Russia received the title “hero city”, as well as a list of hero cities of the USSR and Russia.

Moscow

The title of “hero city” was brought to the capital by the Battle of Moscow in 1941–1942. It consisted of three stages:

• defensive operation (from September 30 to December 5, 1941);
• offensive operation (from December 6, 1941 to January 7, 1942);
• Rzhev-Vyazemsk offensive operation (from January 8 to April 20, 1942).

The offensive in the Moscow direction had crucial. For a crushing blow to Soviet troops The fascist command concentrated 77 divisions (more than 1 million people), almost 14.5 thousand guns and mortars and 1,700 tanks. Support ground forces carried out from the air by 950 combat aircraft.

In these harsh days, the efforts of the entire country were aimed at solving one task - to defend Moscow. On December 4–5, the Soviet Army drove the Nazis back from Moscow and launched a counteroffensive, which developed into a general offensive of the Red Army along the entire Soviet-German front. This was the beginning of a radical turn in the course of the Great Patriotic War.

Died in the Battle of Moscow from September 30, 1941 to April 20, 1942, more than 2,400,000 Soviet citizens.

Leningrad

The Nazis wanted to completely destroy Leningrad, wipe it off the face of the earth and exterminate its population.

Fierce fighting on the outskirts of Leningrad began on July 10, 1941. Numerical superiority was on the enemy’s side: almost 2.5 times more soldiers, 10 times more aircraft, 1.2 times more tanks, and almost 6 times more mortars. As a result, on September 8, 1941, the Nazis managed to capture Shlisselburg and thus take control of the source of the Neva. As a result, Leningrad was blocked from land (cut off from the mainland).

From that moment on, the infamous 900-day blockade of the city began, which lasted until January 1944. The number of its victims exceeds the losses of the United States and Great Britain combined during the entire Second World War.

The data were first made public at the Nuremberg trials, and in 1952 they were published in the USSR. Employees of the Leningrad branch of the Institute of USSR History of the USSR Academy of Sciences came to the conclusion that at least 800 thousand people died of hunger in Leningrad during the fascist blockade.

During the blockade The daily norm of bread for workers was only 250 g, for employees, dependents and children - half as much. At the end of December 1941, the bread ration became almost twice as heavy - by this time a significant part of the population had died.

More than 500 thousand Leningraders went to work on the construction of defensive structures; they built 35 km of barricades and anti-tank obstacles, as well as more than 4,000 bunkers and pillboxes; 22,000 firing points are equipped. At the cost of their own health and lives, the courageous Leningrad heroes gave the front thousands of field and naval guns, repaired and launched 2,000 tanks, produced 10 million shells and mines, 225,000 machine guns and 12,000 mortars.

On December 22, 1942, the medal “For the Defense of Leningrad” was established, which was awarded to about 1,500,000 defenders of the city. On May 8, 1965, Leningrad was awarded the title of Hero City.

Volgograd (Stalingrad)

In the summer of 1942, Nazi troops launched a massive attack on southern front, trying to capture the Caucasus, the Don region, the lower Volga and Kuban - the richest and fertile lands our country. First of all, the city of Stalingrad came under attack.

On July 17, 1942, one of the greatest and largest battles in the history of World War II began - the Battle of Stalingrad. Despite the Nazis' desire to capture the city as quickly as possible, it continued for 200 long, bloody days and nights, thanks to the incredible efforts of the heroes of the army, navy and ordinary residents of the region.

The first attack on the city took place on August 23, 1942. Then, just north of Stalingrad, the Germans almost approached the Volga. Policemen, sailors of the Volga Fleet, NKVD troops, cadets and other volunteer heroes were sent to defend the city. That same night, the Germans launched their first air raid on the city, and on August 25, a state of siege was introduced in Stalingrad. At that time, about 50 thousand volunteers - heroes from among ordinary citizens - signed up for the people's militia. Despite the almost continuous shelling, the Stalingrad factories continued to operate and produce tanks, Katyushas, ​​cannons, mortars and a huge number of shells.

On September 12, 1942, the enemy came close to the city. Two months of fierce defensive battles for Stalingrad caused significant damage to the Germans: the enemy lost about 700 thousand people killed and wounded, and on November 19, 1942, the counter-offensive of our army began.

The offensive operation continued for 75 days and, finally, the enemy at Stalingrad was surrounded and completely defeated. January 1943 brought complete victory on this sector of the front. Fascist invaders were surrounded, and their commander, General Paulus, and his entire army surrendered. (By the way, Paulus only agreed to hand over his personal weapons.)

For the entire time of the Battle of Stalingrad german army lost more than 1,500,000 people.

During the 143-day battles, Nazi aviation dropped about 1 million bombs weighing 100 thousand tons on Stalingrad (5 times more than on London during the entire war). In total, Nazi troops rained down more than 3 million bombs, mines and artillery shells on the city. About 42 thousand buildings (85% of the housing stock), all cultural and everyday institutions, industrial buildings were destroyed. enterprises, municipal facilities.

Stalingrad was one of the first to be called a hero city. This honorary title was first announced in the order of the commander-in-chief dated May 1, 1945. And the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad” became a symbol of the courage of the city’s defenders.

Novorossiysk

After Soviet troops disrupted German plan carrying out aggressive operations in the Caucasian direction, the Nazi command launched an attack on Novorossiysk. Its capture was associated with a gradual advance along the southern coast of the Black Sea and the capture of Batumi.

The battle for Novorossiysk lasted 225 days and ended complete liberation Hero City September 16, 1943

September 14, 1973 in honor of the 30th anniversary of the victory over the Nazis, during the defense North Caucasus, Novorossiysk received the title of Hero City.

Tula

Tula became a hero city thanks to the courage of the soldiers who defended the city from October 24 to December 5, 1941. The city was on state of siege, however, did not surrender to the Germans, despite shelling and tank attacks. Thanks to the retention of Tula, the Red Army did not allow the Wehrmacht troops to break through to Moscow from the south.

December 7, 1976 Tula received the title of Hero City and was awarded the Gold Star medal.

Murmansk

During the Second World War seaport Murmansk was of strategic importance for the USSR - supplies from allied countries passed through it.

The Germans made several attempts to capture the city, but without success.

Murmansk is one of those cities that became front-line from the very first days of the war. Following Stalingrad, Murmansk becomes a leader in sad statistics: the number of explosives per square meter The city's territory exceeded all conceivable limits: 792 air raids and 185 thousand bombs dropped - however, Murmansk survived and continued to operate as a port city.

Under regular air raids, ordinary citizens-heroes carried out the unloading and loading of ships, the construction of bomb shelters, and the production of military equipment. During all the war years, the Murmansk port received 250 ships and handled 2 million tons of various cargo.

The hero fishermen of Murmansk did not stand aside either - in three years they managed to catch 850 thousand centners of fish, supplying both city residents and soldiers of the Soviet army with food. The townspeople who worked at the shipyards repaired 645 combat ships and 544 ordinary transport ships. In addition, another 55 fishing vessels were converted into combat vessels in Murmansk.

In 1942, the main strategic actions developed not on land, but in the harsh waters of the northern seas. The main task The fascists were isolating the shores of the USSR from access to the sea. However, they did not succeed: as a result of incredible efforts, the heroes Northern Fleet More than 200 warships and about 400 transport ships were destroyed. And in the fall of 1944, the fleet expelled the enemy from these lands and the threat of capturing Murmansk passed.

In 1944, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR established the medal “For the Defense of the Soviet Arctic.” The city of Murmansk received the title “Hero City” May 6, 1985. The most famous monument, dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War in the hero city of Murmansk, is the memorial “Defenders of the Soviet Arctic,” which is located in the Leningrad district of the city. It was opened in honor of the 30th anniversary of the defeat of the Nazi forces on October 19, 1974 and is dedicated to all fallen heroes those years. The monument is popularly known as “Alyosha”.

Smolensk

With the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, Smolensk found itself on the path of the main attack of the fascist troops towards Moscow. The city was first bombed on June 24, 1941, and 4 days later the Nazis launched a second air attack on Smolensk, as a result of which it was completely destroyed central part cities.

On July 10, 1941, the famous Battle of Smolensk, in which the Red Army tried to stop the advancing Germans with constant counterattacks. The “Battle of the Smolensk Bulge” lasted until September 10.

In this battle, the Red Army suffered heavy losses - more than 700 thousand people, but the delay near Smolensk did not allow the Germans to reach Moscow before the onset of the autumn thaw and the onset of cold weather, and ultimately to the failure of the entire Barbarossa plan.

Sevastopol

By the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, the city of Sevastopol was the largest port on the Black Sea and the main naval base of the country. His heroic defense against Nazi aggression began on October 30, 1941. and lasted 250 days, going down in history as an example of active, long-term defense of a coastal city deep behind enemy lines. The Germans managed to capture Sevastopol only on the fourth attempt.

If the defense of Sevastopol lasted 250 days, the liberation took only a week. The battles for the liberation of Sevastopol began on April 15, 1944, when Soviet soldiers reached the occupied city. Particularly fierce battles were fought in the area adjacent to Sapun Mountain. May 9, 1944, soldiers of the 4th Ukrainian Front, together with the sailors of the Black Sea Fleet, liberated Sevastopol. Sevastopol received the title of Hero City May 8, 1965

Odessa

Already in August 1941, Odessa was completely surrounded by Nazi troops. Her heroic defense lasted 73 days, during which Soviet army and squads people's militia defended the city from enemy invasion. From the mainland side, Odessa was defended by the Primorsky Army, from the sea - by ships of the Black Sea Fleet, with the support of artillery from the shore. To capture the city, the enemy threw forces five times larger than its defenders.

Thanks to the dedication of the Soviet troops and the heroes of the people's militia, more than 160,000 German soldiers were killed, 200 enemy aircraft and 100 tanks were destroyed.

But the city was still taken on October 16, 1941. A partisan war began. Odessa was liberated on April 10, 1944, and on May 1, 1945, in the order Supreme Commander was first named the Hero City. Odessa was officially awarded the title City Hero May 8, 1965

Summing up the defense of Odessa, the newspaper Pravda wrote:

"All Soviet country, the whole world watched with admiration courageous struggle defenders of Odessa. They left the city without tarnishing their honor, maintaining their combat effectiveness, ready for new battles with the fascist hordes. And no matter what front the defenders of Odessa fight on, everywhere they will serve as an example of valor, courage, and heroism.”

Brest Fortress

Central Museum Armed Forces. Part of the wall of one of the casemates in the northwestern part Brest Fortress. Caption: “I'm dying, but I'm not giving up. Goodbye, Motherland. 20/VII-41". Lev Polikashin/RIA Novosti

Of all the cities of the Soviet Union, it was Brest that had the fate of being the first to face the aggression of the Nazi invaders. In the early morning of June 22, 1941, the Brest Fortress was bombed by the enemy, in which at that time there were approximately 7 thousand Soviet soldiers and members of the families of their commanders.

The German command expected to capture the fortress within a few hours, but the 45th Wehrmacht division was stuck in Brest for a week and, with significant losses, suppressed individual pockets of resistance of the heroic defenders of Brest for another month. As a result, the Brest Fortress became a symbol of courage, heroic fortitude and valor during the Great Patriotic War.

The decree conferring the honorary title “Hero Fortress” on the Brest Fortress was signed on May 8, 1965.

Kyiv

Destroyed Independence Square in Kyiv in a photograph from 1942

Sudden attack on the city of Kyiv German troops struck from the air on June 22, 1941 - in the very first hours of the war, and on July 6 a committee for its defense had already been created. From that day on, the heroic struggle for the city began, which lasted for 72 days.

Kyiv was defended not only by Soviet soldiers, but also ordinary people. Huge efforts were made for this by militia units, of which there were nineteen by the beginning of July. Also, 13 fighter battalions were formed from among the townspeople, and in total, 33,000 people from the city’s residents took part in the defense of Kyiv. In those difficult times July days Kiev residents built more than 1,400 pillboxes and manually dug 55 kilometers of anti-tank ditches.

The courage and courage of the defenders’ heroes stopped the enemy advance on the first line of the city’s fortifications. The Nazis failed to take Kyiv in a raid. However, on July 30, 1941 fascist army made a new attempt to storm the city. On the tenth of August, she managed to break through the defenses on its southwestern outskirts, but through the joint efforts of the people's militia and regular troops they managed to give a worthy rebuff to the enemy. By August 15, 1941, the militia drove the Nazis back to their previous positions.

Enemy losses near Kiev numbered more than 100,000 people. The Nazis did not undertake any more direct assaults on the city; seventeen fascist German divisions were “stuck” in battle for a long time under it. Such prolonged resistance by the city’s defenders forced the enemy to withdraw part of the forces from the offensive in the Moscow direction and transfer them to Kyiv, due to which the Soviet soldiers were forced to retreat on September 19, 1941.

The Nazi invaders who occupied the city inflicted enormous damage on it, establishing a regime of brutal occupation. More than 200,000 Kiev residents were killed, and about 100,000 people were sent to Germany for forced labor.

Kyiv was liberated on November 6, 1943. In honor of the feat of Soviet citizens, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR in 1961 established a new award - the medal “For the Defense of Kyiv.”

In 1965 Kyiv was awarded the title of Hero City.

Kerch

Soviet Marines install the ship's jack on the very high point Kerch - Mount Mithridates. April 1944. Photo by E. A. Khaldei.

During the fighting in Kerch, more than 85% of the buildings were destroyed, the liberators were met just over 30 residents of the city out of almost 100 thousand inhabitants in 1940.

In mid-November 1941, after two weeks of fierce fighting on the Kerch Peninsula, the city was captured by the Nazis. On December 30, 1941, during the Kerch-Feodosia landing operation, Kerch was liberated by troops of the 51st Army of the Black Sea Fleet and the Azov military flotilla. But the Nazis really needed Crimea. In May 1942, the Germans concentrated large forces on the Kerch Peninsula and launched a new offensive. After terrible, stubborn battles, the city again found itself in the hands of the Nazis. No, defenders have nothing to be ashamed of. They fought to the death.

An example is the heroic, long and persistent struggle of the partisans in Adzhimushkai quarries(“Adzhimushkay” - translated as “Gorky” gray stone"). When the marines liberated Kerch and the village of Adzhimushkay and descended into the quarries, they, war-hardened sailors, were shocked by what they saw: ...the further into the depths of the stone galleries, the more difficult it is to breathe. It smells like centuries of dampness. Cold. There are rags and sheets of paper on the floor. And human remains.

A sheet taken at random is another shock. This is the daily distribution of different products per person: 15 grams, 10 grams, 5 grams. And in the next compartment there are dozens of corpses of Soviet soldiers. In greatcoats, in bandages, reclining, with their heads thrown back - in these positions death found them. There are weapons and gas masks nearby. Rifle and machine gun magazines are empty: people fought to the last bullet.

Gloom and a heavy grave spirit complete the ominous picture. The shocked sailors realized that this was self-sacrifice in the name of the Fatherland.

With the name of the heroes of Adzhimushkai, the soldiers later liberated Kerch, Crimea, and Sevastopol. There were 15 thousand people in the Adzhimushkai quarries, there was not enough food, water, and not enough air. The brutal fascists threw lit gas bombs at the catacombs. To combat them, the defenders set up vigils and threw burning bombs into sandboxes. Then the Nazis began to pump gas with a compressor and drilled holes in the walls for hoses. But the defenders found a way out. They tied the hoses in a knot. Then the Germans began to pump gas directly through the holes. And here the defenders found a way out - they created gas-tight walls.

Problem No. 1 for the underground garrison was water. People sucked water from damp walls and collected drops into mugs. It was very difficult for exhausted people to dig wells, many died. And the Nazis, if they heard the sound of a pickaxe, blew up this place, realizing that people were looking for water. Notes from the defenders have been preserved. They show how difficult it was for the fighters. And when our troops left Sevastopol, the Germans intensified their psychological attack:

"Give up. We promise you. You were left alone in Crimea, everyone gave up.”

But the fighters understood that they were holding German troops and were not allowing them to go to Taman. They fulfilled their duty to the Motherland with honor. The members of the underground garrison did not sit in the catacombs. They came to the surface at night, destroyed enemy firing points, obtained food and weapons. Many died in battle, others were unable to return from weakness and died.

The defense was led by P. M. Yagunov, who died from a stray German grenade.

Children were also in the quarries along with the adults. Name IN Olody Dubinina known to many in Russia. The boy was a scout. Knowing every stone in the quarries, all the passages, thin and small young scouts could crawl into holes that adults could not, and obtain the information necessary for the partisans. Volodya lived to see the Victory. I met with my mother and washed myself of the multi-layered soot and dirt. Everything seemed fine, but the Germans, retreating, mined many of the entrances to the quarries, and there were still people there. Volodya, who knew the quarries well, could not help but help the sappers. One of the bombs exploded. The brave boy died. He was posthumously awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The occupiers were in control for only a month and a half for the first time, but the consequences were monstrous. “Bagerovsky Ditch” - here the Nazis shot 7 thousand people. It was from here that the Soviet Commission for the Investigation of Fascist Crimes began its work. The materials of this investigation were presented at the Nuremberg trials.

Bagerovo anti-tank ditch near Kerch

For outstanding services to the Motherland and mass heroism, courage and fortitude in 1973(on the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Crimea), the city of Kerch was awarded the honorary title “Hero City” with the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal.

Minsk

Belarusian partisans on Lenin Square in Minsk, after the liberation of the city from the Nazi invaders. 1944 V. Lupeiko/RIA Novosti

In the very first days of the Nazi invasion of the USSR in June 1941, Minsk was subjected to devastating raids by German aircraft. Despite the stubborn resistance of the Red Army, the city was captured on the sixth day of the war. During the three-year occupation in Minsk and its environs, the Germans killed more than 400 thousand people, and the city itself was turned into ruins and ashes. They destroyed 80% of residential buildings, almost all factories, power plants, scientific institutions and theaters. Despite the terror of the occupiers, a patriotic underground operated in the city.

The city of Minsk and the Minsk region were the center of the partisan movement in the BSSR.

Minsk was liberated by Soviet troops on July 3, 1944. Now this date is celebrated as Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus. In 1974 In commemoration of the merits of the city's citizens in the fight against Nazism, Minsk received the title Hero City.

Why is the title of “city of military glory” awarded?

Stella of cities of military glory in the Alexander Garden. Photo: poznamka.ru

The title “city of military glory” did not exist in the USSR; it was approved by Vladimir Putin in 2006. The title of city of military glory is awarded to cities “on whose territory or in close proximity from which during fierce battles The defenders of the Fatherland showed courage, resilience and mass heroism.”

In the city that received this title, a special stele is installed. On February 23, May 9 and City Day, festive events and fireworks are held.

The title of city of military glory can also be awarded to a hero city.

Which Russian cities have been awarded the title of “City of Military Glory”?

Today in Russia there are 45 Cities of Military Glory: Belgorod, Kursk, Orel, Vladikavkaz, Malgobek, Rzhev, Yelnya, Yelets, Voronezh, Meadows, Polyarny, Rostov-on-Don, Tuapse, Velikiye Luki, Veliky Novgorod, Dmitrov, Vyazma, Kronstadt, Naro-Fominsk, Pskov, Kozelsk, Arkhangelsk, Volokolamsk, Bryansk, Nalchik, Vyborg, Kalach-on-Don, Vladivostok, Tikhvin, Tver, Anapa, Kolpino, Stary Oskol, Kovrov, Lomonosov, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, Taganrog, Maroyaroslavets, Mozhaisk, Khabarovsk, Staraya Russa, Gatchina, Petrozavodsk, Grozny and Feodosia.

In the city awarded the title “City of Military Glory”:

• a stele is installed with the image of the city’s coat of arms and the text of the decree of the President of the Russian Federation on conferring this title on the city;
• public events are held and holiday fireworks February 23 (Defender of the Fatherland Day), May 9 (Victory Day), as well as on City Day or the Day of Liberation of the City from Nazi invaders(eg Tikhvin).

Memorial complex "Brest Fortress". Photo: Sergey Grits / AR

Why twelve cities and one fortress of the Soviet Union received the highest honorary title

When it comes to talking about the hero cities of Russia, the list of them will be incomplete without those cities that are today located on the territory of Ukraine and Belarus. Indeed, during the Great Patriotic War, when all twelve cities and one fortress covered themselves with unfading glory, the entire Soviet Union was called Russia, without dividing it into separate parts.

For the first time, Leningrad, Stalingrad, Sevastopol and Odessa were named hero cities on May 1, 1945. On June 21, 1961, Kiev was added to their number, and on May 8, 1965, the honorary title “Hero City” became official and was awarded to “cities of the Soviet Union whose workers showed massive heroism and courage in defending the Motherland in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.” ." Since July 18, 1980, the title of hero city has become the highest degree of distinction for settlement. Below is a list of hero cities, compiled by the time they were awarded the highest degree of distinction.

The 900-day siege of Leningrad became a symbol of the courage of the Soviet people, their willingness to die, but not to let the enemy pass. During the blockade, every fifth resident of the city died, but despite this, the city continued to supply the front with weapons, ammunition and food.

The heroic defense of Odessa lasted almost a month and a half - 73 days. During this time, almost 160 thousand enemy soldiers were destroyed. And then, during the occupation of the city, Odessa partisans, who went into the city catacombs, destroyed another 5,000 Nazis.

The second defense of Sevastopol, which lasted 250 days, was a repetition of the legendary First Defense during the Crimean War. wars XIX century. The city withstood four assaults and was abandoned only after the enemy managed to occupy the entire Crimean peninsula and completely cut off the Sevastopol residents from the main forces

Monument "Soldier and Sailor" to the heroic defenders of Sevastopol. Photo: Marina Lystseva / TASS

Stalingrad became synonymous with victory: it was here, as they said at the time, that the backbone was broken fascist troops. With the defense of Stalingrad and the encirclement of the 6th Army of Field Marshal Paulus, the offensive of Soviet troops began along the entire front, ending on May 9, 1945 in Berlin.

The sculptures “Stand to the Death” and “The Motherland Calls” in the historical and memorial complex “Heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad” on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd. Photo: Eduard Kotlyakov / TASS

The defense of Kyiv at the end of the summer of 1941 became one of the most striking episodes of the first months of the Great Patriotic War: the city’s defenders pulled back 19 German divisions, making it possible to prepare a defense line in the interior of the country. And the liberation of Kyiv in the fall of 1943 became the most important milestone in the Red Army’s offensive to the West.

“We will die, but we will not leave the fortress,” one of its nameless defenders wrote on the wall of one of the casemates of the Brest Fortress. According to the Barbarossa plan, the fortress was supposed to fall on the very first day of the war, but its soldiers fought with unparalleled courage until the beginning of July 1941.

The capital of our country became the very city under which the Red Army, after a long retreat, managed to inflict such a blow on the enemy that it forced him to stop. And the parade on Red Square on November 7, 1941, at the very height of the battle for Moscow, clearly showed: neither surrender the city, nor surrender Soviet people not going to.

Adzhimushkay quarries and Eltigen landing - these two concepts are inextricably linked with military history Kerch. The courage of the defenders of the quarries, who withstood considerable enemy forces, and the heroism of Eltigen’s paratroopers, who died but held an important bridgehead, coupled with the fortitude of the townspeople during the defense of Kerch, were the reasons for awarding the city a high rank.

The battle for Novorossiysk lasted 225 days, and during all this time the Nazis failed to completely capture the city. The most important role the legendary bridgehead also played a role in defense Malaya Zemlya, and the battle for the city itself did not allow the enemy to implement plans to capture the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.

Finding itself at the forefront of the main attack of the Wehrmacht, which was rushing towards Moscow, Minsk was occupied already on the sixth day of the war, and was liberated only on July 3, 1944. But all three years the tension in the city did not decrease guerrilla warfare: No wonder eight participants of the Minsk underground were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.

The defense of Tula is an example of unprecedented courage, first of all, of its citizens: made up of them fighter battalions held out as long as it took to transfer regular troops to the city. As a result, Tula, whose arms factories did not stop their work even for a day, never surrendered to the enemy, although the enemy was already standing on its outskirts.

The ice-free northern port of Murmansk became the main base where Lend-Lease convoys were received and from where British and American tanks, cars and planes went to the front in a continuous stream. Even the constant bombing to which the Nazis constantly subjected the city could not prevent this: in three years, 185,000 bombs were dropped on Murmansk soil!

The famous Battle of Smolensk in 1941 lasted for two months, and although it was not possible to defend the city, the battle for it delayed the Wehrmacht divisions rushing towards Moscow for a long time. And the courage of the Smolensk partisans, who gave no rest to the invaders for two years, became as legendary as the heroism of their Bryansk comrades.

How many cities of military glory are there in Russia?

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the practice of awarding the title Hero City was stopped, but remembering the courage and heroism of the defenders of the Fatherland in Russia, a new title “City of Military Glory” was introduced.

Russian cities began receiving the honorary title “City of Military Glory” in 2007: the first were Belgorod, Kursk and Orel. As the presidential decree states, this title is awarded “for courage, fortitude and mass heroism shown by the city’s defenders in the struggle for the freedom and independence of the Fatherland.” In total, as of 2015, 45 Russian cities are cities of military glory, not only in the west of the country, but also in Far East.

The city of the first fireworks given in honor of its liberation in 1943.

The city after which one of the most famous battles Great Patriotic War - Kursk Bulge.

The strategic operation “Kutuzov” began with a strike in the direction of Orel, and after the liberation, the first parade of partisan formations in the history of the war took place in the city.

On the outskirts of Vladikavkaz, Wehrmacht troops were stopped, whose target was the oil fields of the Caspian Sea.

The battle for Malgobek became key during the battle for the Caucasus: it was here that Soviet troops managed to stop the Nazis rushing to Grozny.

The city in the vicinity of which one of the most tragic and bloody battles of the Great Patriotic War unfolded - the Rzhev operation.

Yelnya became the first large city liberated in 1941 as a result of the autumn counter-offensive of the Red Army.

Liberated during the counter-offensive near Moscow in December 1941, the city served as the center of the Oryol region until the liberation of Oryol.

The Battle of Voronezh played a key role in the defense of Stalingrad: the Wehrmacht troops were delayed for several days, which made it possible to strengthen the defense of the city on the Volga.

The famous Luga line, which delayed the advance of Army Group North troops on Leningrad, passed through this city.

During the Great Patriotic War, the city was the main base of the Soviet Northern Fleet of the USSR Navy: it was based here submarines and escort ships for allied convoys.

The first liberation of Rostov-on-Don in November 1941 was also the first major victory of the Red Army since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.

After the capture of Sevastopol, the city became the main base of the Black Sea Fleet, which the Wehrmacht failed to take even after a five-month siege.

This city is covered military glory more than one century: since 1242, from the day of the Battle of Lake Peipus, it has more than once played the role of the northern shield of Russia.

The cradle of Russian democracy and a city that went down in history as the place of the reign of Alexander Nevsky, a commander whose name was given to one of the most honorable orders during the Great Patriotic War.

Although it was here at the end of November that the Nazis began last try attack on Moscow, they failed to take the city.

Vyazma glorified itself in two Patriotic Wars: 1812 and the Great Patriotic War, becoming the site of several major battles.

The fortress city, the citadel of the Baltic Fleet, has never allowed an enemy beyond the walls of its forts in its history.

Divided by the Nara River into two parts, the city steadfastly resisted the Nazis: they never managed to cross the river.

The city, which has served as the defender of Russia’s western borders for eight centuries, is one of the symbols of the glory of the Russian Airborne Forces.

During Batu’s invasion of Rus', Kozelsk offered the most fierce resistance to the invaders, for which it received the nickname “Evil City” from them.

Having first glorified itself in the battles of Peter the Great, Arkhangelsk, along with Murmansk, received allied convoys during the Great Patriotic War.

One of the key cities during the Battle of Moscow, which forever glorified the soldiers of the famous Panfilov Division.

Bryansk became a city-symbol of partisan glory: in the region more than 100 partisan detachments fought against the Nazis.

The liberation of Nalchik was one of the first during the Great Patriotic War offensive operations carried out by regular troops together with partisan detachments.

The city, which became part of Russia through the efforts of Peter I, ceded to Finland after 1917 and returned in 1939, was the site of fierce fighting during the Soviet-Finnish and Great Patriotic Wars.

It was in this city that during Operation Uranus to encircle the 6th Army of the Wehrmacht on November 23, 1942, the ring of Soviet troops closed.

An outpost of Russia in the Far East, Vladivostok became famous both during the Russo-Japanese War and during the Second World War, when it served as one of the destination ports for allied convoys.

It was one of the key cities during the defense of Leningrad, and in November 1941, it was here that the first offensive in the northwestern direction began.

Kalinin was the focal point of the defense of Moscow in the fall and winter of 1941 and became one of the first cities liberated by the Red Army during the counter-offensive near Moscow.

During the Battle of Crimea and the Battle of the Caucasus, the port of Anapa served as one of the bases of the Black Sea Fleet and a place of formation legendary battalions Black Sea Marine Corps.

During the defense of Leningrad, the front line passed 3-4 km from the center of Kolpino, but despite this, the city continued to be repaired military equipment and supply the army with food. via

To be continued...