Penza, 15 February 2015. PenzaNews. Penza has honored the legacy of the Russian soldiers who had been following the call of duty abroad during the Memory Day campaigns on Sunday, February 15.

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The first of the events that took place on Sunday was the flower and wreath-laying ceremony at the Torn Star memorial complex, that involved Afghan War veterans, state officials, members of civil organizations, and junior cadets, who honored the legacy of the fallen soldiers with a moment of silence.

The ceremony was followed by a public rally by the Afghan Gates memorial. It involved such officials as Ivan Belozertsev, chairman of the Legislative Assembly of the Penza region; Sergei Pulikovsky, deputy chairman of the regional government; the head of the city Victor Kuvaytsev; and the Penza mayor Yuri Krivov.

The cadets of the Penza artillery engineering institute honored the soldiers with a machine gun salvo, which was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony.

According to Ivan Belozertsev, such memorable dates are not just an occasion to honor the fallen soldiers, but an important part of education for the new generation that should know and respect the history of their country.

“Many young people are here today. The young ones see veterans, respectable people, who come to the schools and tell about the service in the Army. We must do everything to tell our kids the truth about the Great War, the events in Afghanistan and other conflict hot spots,” said the speaker of the regional Parliament.

In his turn, Vladimir Holzinev, chairman of the regional Russian Afghan War Veterans’ Union, said the names of the Afghan War soldiers will never be forgotten.

“Today is the second Victory Day for us. We left Afghanistan undefeated, and we are proud of successfully fulfilling the orders of the Motherland and fending off the attacks at its southern boundaries,” he added.

The day was commemorate later at the Youth center and other cultural institutions of the region.

According to publicly available information, a total of 5,197 Penza region citizens took part in the Afghan conflicts. A total of 116 fell during the skirmishes, 6 were declared missing in action, and 319 soldiers were gravely injured or shell-shocked.