A meeting of Luhansk school students with the slogan “Do not Take the Sun Away from Donbass Children!” took place on 22 June at the Russian Law Academy.
Spokespeople of the Russia’s Investigative Committee headed by its Chairman Alexander Bastrykin, delegation of the Luhansk People’s Republic, center of museum pedagogics SVETOCH, spokespeople of United Russia party, Strogino volunteers, Russian pop stars and students of the Russian Law Academy of the Ministry of Justice took part in the event.
Olga Alexandrova, Chancellor of the Academy opened the event: “Our cooperation with southeastern Ukraine, with children from the Luhansk People’s Republic, with SVETOCH foundation has become a good tradition, it is the second time we have accepted the children from Donbass. We have been waiting for you very much! We have been trying! And we do want very much to make you warm here. I’m very excited right now because the situation leaves nobody untouched, this is very hard. I address the adults: please, do everything possible and impossible to make the childhood of our children happy and untroubled!”.
Chairman of the Russia’s Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin addressed his welcoming speech to the main guests of the meeting – children from Donbass: “I thank the Russian Law Academy for this wonderful initiative of receiving children from southeastern Ukraine. On 22 June the Great Patriotic War started. Terrible moments in the video we just saw remind us about those atrocious years. I would like to say something personal. Today is my father’s Ivan Bastrykin birthday, he was born on 22 June 1920. Lieutenant Captain of the Northern Fleet he fought the Finnish war and the Great Patriotic War. I saw his pictures from those years, his documents and he told me what the war is like. It is extremely terrifying that such crimes are still committed in the 21st century against civilians, women, elderly people and most terrifying against children. You must be felling that Russia is doing its best within those formal legal international possibilities. Russia also does a lot related to humanitarian support and help to its brotherly Ukrainian people. The Russia’s Investigative Committee has opened a number of criminal investigations against Ukrainian military clique. I am sure that sooner or later military criminals will pay for their crimes! I am sure that we will finish the investigation and the responsible ones will be punished both in this and other life. I am addressing young people now: knowing and seeing all those atrocities that are happening in southeastern Ukraine we can’t mix some individuals who commit those crimes against humanity and the world of the Ukrainian people. “Kiev us the mother of Russian cities” and those are not empty words. This is our history of Slavic people. I am convinced that we will get back to those ideas, to our common history, but we have to wait and help those who need it. We have to do our best to get the two people back together. I am addressing to the children present here: we are glad to welcome you and we will be pleased to make a tour for you around the Investigative Committee during which you will be able to see our investigative and forensic equipment, our investigators, those who handle the cases I was talking about. All of this is so terrible, but do not take it in as a life, because all of it is temporary. I wish happiness to you and your loved ones! Russia will be always there for you!”
To conclude his speech Mr. Bastrykin gave presents to the children and guests – representatives of the Luhansk People’s Republic. In response the representatives of the Republic expressed their gratitude and gave Mr. Bastrykin the flag of the Republic.
Speeches were also made by: Deputy of the people’s Council of the Luhansk People’s Republic Svetlana Gezay, representatives of the militia Yulia Kozhevnikova, Yelena Zotova, head of the museum, spokesperson of Kharkov political emigrants Tatyana Terebina, CEO of Museum pedagogics center SVETOCH Svetlana Mukhanova, a spokesman of the United Russia party Sergey Shumilov.
The event was continued by the choir Rus Svyataya led by Yelena Nemchinova and the students of the Law Academy and Russian pop stars.
Head of Media Relations V.I. Markin
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