Young gymnasts talk about the heroism of their relatives during the Great Patriotic War

Participants of the physical culture and sports society trade union training camp at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy shared stories of their great-grandparents, who fought in the Great Patriotic War.

Yanina Mikulskaya, Lyubertsy: “I want to tell you about my great-grandfather. Mikolsky Anatoly. He was born in 1921. When he was 20 years old, he volunteered to go to the war. On April 7, 1945, he was killed in the line of duty while delivering tank fuel. He was awarded the Order of the Red Star. I am very proud of him, because he made his name in history.”

Veronika Rozhkova, Gelendzhik: “I want to tell you about my great-great-grandfather Ivan Yatsenko. He went to war in 1941 and went missing in 1943. At home, he had a wife Maria and three children. The oldest child was my great-grandmother. I am very proud that my great-great-grandfather went to war and stood up for his homeland.”

Polina Farafonova, Belgorod: “I want to talk about my family’s contribution to the Victory made by my two great-great-grandfathers - Anatoly Gubin and Ermolai Plotnikov. My first great-great-grandfather Anatoly Gubin was called to the war in July 1941. He fought near Belgorod, although he was from Kirov. For courage and courage in battle, he was awarded the medal "For Courage". He shot down two enemy planes. As a result, he was severely wounded and died in 1945. He was two months away from seeing the Great Victory. He is buried in a mass grave in the Baltic. And my second great-grandfather Ermolai Plotnikov also fought near Belgorod and Moscow. He did not allow the Nazis to enter Moscow. He was also called up in 1941. He fought to the end, but died from a bullet wound. He is buried in an unknown mass grave.”

Valeriya Karpova, Lubertsy: “My paternal great-grandmother. Her name is Antonina Kulemina. She participated in the Great Patriotic War, shot down four enemy fighter planes. She was awarded the Order of the Red Star and the Order of Courage. It’s obvious that she was very brave, she wanted to protect us. She came back home safe and sound. I am very proud of her, because my relative put her name on the line for this world. I am proud that she protected us. She wanted to give her life in order to save many other people.”