On the eve of the Great Victory Day, students from all universities of Irkutsk, including Baikal University, lined up near the eternal flame to honor the memory of their ancestors and take part in a patriotic action: “Flame of Pride for Victory”. The students laid flowers at the memorial and released white balloons symbolizing millions of lost lives. But not everyone was honored with such an opportunity.

“We could not invite everyone to participate, so each Institute was given quotas of eight people. That's how we selected the best,” said Vice-Rector for Youth Policy Julia Pyatkovskaya.

The participants were addressed by representatives of the Irkutsk city administration, regional government, veterans of the Great Patriotic War and combat operations in Chechnya and Afghanistan. All of them at different times were united by a common goal - to protect the Fatherland from enemies.

“This is the first time I take part in this event. For me it is very important. I believe that it is necessary to preserve memory, historical memory, to honor ancestors and those who right now go under the bullets for the benefit of protecting our homeland. If we do not preserve our historical heritage, we will have no future,” emphasized the head of the patriotic club ‘On the pages of memory’, student Alexander Yaryshkin.