MOSCOW, July 16. /TASS/. The Immortal Regiment march scheduled for July 26 will not take place, the march’s organizers told TASS on Thursday.
"The procession surely will not take place on July 26. We will look at the epidemiological situation to decide when it takes place," press secretary of the Immortal Regiment of Russia united public movement Olga Baibulova said.
According to the statement posted on the public movement’s website, requests for the march will be filed as soon as the epidemiological situation in the country allows holding it. The statement also says that Co-Chairman of the Movement’s Central Headquarters, USSR People’s Artist Vasily Lanovoi suggested holding the Immortal Regiment march on May 9, 2021.
"Tens of millions of people have already taken part in commemorative events called upon to glorify our fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers. On May 9, June 22 and 24, we remembered their feat, honored living veterans and paid tribute to the dead. Perhaps, we should think about holding the procession in its full-fledged format on Victory Day on May 9, 2021," the public movement’s press office quoted Lanovoi as saying.
Presidential Aide Vladimir Medinsky earlier said that a decision on postponing the Immortal Regiment march scheduled for July 26 to a later date was being discussed and it would be made proceeding from the epidemiological situation in the country.
History of Immortal Regiment march
The Immortal Regiment march is an annual public event held in Russia and other countries to commemorate those who fought or died during the Soviet Union’s 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War against Nazi Germany.
During the Immortal Regiment march, which takes place on May 9 or on the nearest days, its participants pass in a formation carrying placards with the photographs of their relatives who fought during the war. Also, people who join the march are offered to post the photos of their relatives and their brief biographies on the official website of the ‘People’s Chronicle’ project.
The Immortal Regiment movement was first launched in the city of Tyumen in West Siberia in 2007 and was initially called "Victors’ Parade." It acquired its current name in 2012 in Tomsk, and in 2013 it involved 120 cities. The movement officially became nationwide in 2015.
By now, the Immortal Regiment march has spread beyond Russia.
This year, it was decided to organize the march in the online format on May 9 because of the ongoing coronavirus lockdowns. About three million people applied for their participation in the nationwide Immortal Regiment march online.
To date, 752,797 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Russia, with 531,692 patients having recovered from the disease. Russia’s latest data indicates 11,937 fatalities nationwide. Earlier, the Russian government set up an Internet hotline to keep the public updated on the coronavirus situation.