Strangers Instead of Fathers

For many first graders, September 1 was not only a holiday but also a reminder of the war in which they have already lost their closest loved ones. Instead of their deceased fathers, children were accompanied to school by their "comrades-in-arms."

The “To Be Nearby” campaign was organized by the Defenders of the Fatherland Foundation together with the Association of SVO Veterans. In more than 20 regions of Russia, first graders held hands with unfamiliar men — participants in the war.

📌 In the Moscow region, SVO veterans accompanied Ivan, Ksenia, Regina, and twins Valeria and Viktoria — children of fallen soldiers — to their first school assemblies.

“I gave Valeria and Viktoria new school backpacks filled with everything they need for school — from notebooks to pens,” wrote one of the participants.

📌 In the Samara region, the head of the regional Veterans Association, Denis Mikhaylin, walked first-grader Polina — the daughter of a fallen serviceman — to school.

📌 In Ryazan, the campaign took place in three schools — Nos. 60/61, 73, and 22. Children attended the ceremonies accompanied by their fathers’ fellow soldiers.

📌 In Tyumen, a boy named Alexey was accompanied by SVO participant and head of the local organization Derzhava, Oleg Yampolsky.

“On the way to school, Oleg Yampolsky and Alexey got to know each other. The boy spoke about his hobbies and his desire to do well in school,” Yampolsky wrote, referring to himself in the third person.

📌 In the Kursk region, veterans of the Association “became a source of support” for Sofia, Egor, and Kolya — children of fallen SVO participants — and accompanied them to their school ceremonies.

📌 In Bashkortostan, the Association of SVO Veterans held a similar campaign called “SVO(i) Children” — participants in the war traveled around the republic to deliver gifts to schoolchildren who had lost their fathers in the war against Ukraine.

This is far from a complete list. Similar events were held in many other regions. We continue to collect information.