All-Russian "Memory Watch 2024" — Closing of the Moscow Region's search season

On November 16, 2024, on the grounds of the Federal State Budgetary Cultural Institution "State Borodino Military-Historical Museum-Reserve," a ceremonial closing ceremony of the Moscow Region's search season will be held as part of the All-Russian campaign "Memory Watch 2024."

The organizer of the Moscow Region’s "Memory Watch 2024" is, as usual, the Ministry of Information and Youth Policy of the Moscow Region. More than 700 activists from search squads and patriotic associations of the Moscow Region will take part in the ceremony.

Officials will attend the event — members of the Government of the Moscow Region, the Deputy Plenipotentiary Representative of the Republic of Bashkortostan to the President of the Russian Federation, representatives of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, the State Duma of the Russian Federation, members of the Public Chamber of the Moscow Region, DOSAAF Russia, the Russian Military-Historical Society, the All-Russian public movement "Search Movement of Russia," and the Fund of the "Union of Search Squads."

Guests and participants of the ceremonial closing of the Moscow Region’s "Memory Watch 2024" will take part in a ceremonial rally, attend tours of the museum complex, and will be able to refresh themselves at a field kitchen.
A round table will be organized for the leaders of search squads and associations to sum up the past season and discuss key issues of the upcoming one, and of course search fighters and commanders will be recognized with Letters of Appreciation and Distinction Badges from the Government of the Moscow Region.

In the Moscow Region, 12 search associations operate, comprising 113 search squads — more than 3,000 searchers engaged in conducting search operations and commemorating those who died defending the Fatherland in the region and in other regions of the Russian Federation. The work involves search squads of the Russian regional All-Russian public movement "Search Movement of Russia," the regional branch of DOSAAF Russia, the Russian Military-Historical Society, and the Union of Search Squads.

In the past season, searchers from the Moscow Region conducted more than 380 expeditions to battle sites of the Great Patriotic War, 94 of which took place in the Moscow Region. Within the special project "Battle for Moscow," supported by the Ministry of Information and Youth Policy of the Moscow Region, searchers carried out 10 expeditions and organized 50 "Lessons of Courage" in cultural and educational institutions of the region and based on museum exhibitions created by the searchers.

During the past search season in the Moscow Region, remains of 207 people were found and buried with full honors, and the fates and names of 8 defenders of the Fatherland were established. In total, on the territory of Russia and allied states, searchers from the Moscow Region have preliminarily discovered the remains of more than 388 soldiers; the fate of 19 people was established (all 19 had been listed as missing); relatives of 10 fighters were found; and the remains of 376 heroes were solemnly buried.

During the closing ceremony of "Memory Watch 2024," the personal belongings of five soldiers discovered by searchers during fieldwork will be handed over to their relatives and loved ones.

Participation in All-Russian projects continued actively. Within the project "Soldier’s Fate," in 2024 searchers in the Moscow Region received more than 169 online inquiries from relatives seeking to establish the fates of soldiers, 11 requests from fellow searchers, and held 8 meetings with relatives. Over the entire period of the project in the Moscow Region, there were 1,244 online inquiries from relatives to establish soldiers' fates, 920 inquiries from social networks, 564 inquiries directly to search squads, and 250 requests via videoconferences. At the ceremonial rally as part of the federal project "Soldier’s Fate," relatives, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of missing soldiers will be present, to whom searchers will hand over found archival documents with the established combat paths of their relatives.

As part of the All-Russian project "Without a Statute of Limitations," more than 1,000 people visited the traveling exhibition of unique archival documents.

The search season has ended, but our searchers are already planning work for 2025: operation of squad museums, Lessons of Courage and history classes in educational institutions, preserving the memory of the feats of our people, and, of course, preparation of new expeditions for next spring — all this is on the agenda of those who with their own hands preserve our Memory and History, people with big hearts — the Searchers.