The House Where Victory Lives

There are cities where memory is not lines in a textbook, but the breath of the earth itself. The city of Rudnya in the Smolensk region is just such a city. Here they do not talk about the Victory - they live it here.

In this city they know: Victory begins with a person.

Mikhail Alekseevich Egorov was born here - the same soldier who, together with Meliton Kantaria, under heavy fire, raised the Red Banner over the defeated Reichstag in the spring of 1945.

Under hurricane fire from the enemy, risking their lives, they carried the scarlet flag through the smoke and ashes of slain Berlin - and raised it so that the whole world could see: fascism was defeated.

"Did I, an accountant from Semiozerki in the Kostanay region, think that I would lead a company to storm the Reichstag?!" recalled Senior Sergeant Ilya Syanov. In this amazing "did I think" is the spirit of a generation. People who did great things - quietly.

The flag raised over Berlin became a symbol of the end of the war and the beginning of peace. But Yegorov remained a modest soldier. He did not seek honors. He returned home and stood at the machine of the Rudnyansky dairy and canning plant, where he worked for many years. His choice says more about him than any awards. The hero of the Great Victory became a hero of peaceful labor.

Today, the Rudnyansky Dairy and Canned Food Plant is part of the ERKONPRODUKT group of companies, and it is here, in the factory shop, that Mikhail Egorov's workplace is still carefully preserved.

With a commemorative plaque: "Hero of the Soviet Union M.A. Egorov worked here."

This place, like the house-museum, has become a real point of attraction for everyone who wants to touch living history. The plant remembers its hero not once a year, but every day. Excursions for schoolchildren and young people are held here, patriotic events are organized, employees participate in the Immortal Regiment processions, hold sports tournaments and memorial events. Here they do not simply honor the past - they continue it.

A special place is occupied by the Mikhail Egorov House-Museum in Rudnya, a branch of the Smolensk State Museum-Reserve. This is not just a house. This is a world where memory lives. His accordion sounded here, letters and memories were kept here, and moments of silence were sung. Every object, every detail speaks of a man for whom Victory was not a symbol, but a part of destiny.

This year Rudnya became a landmark point of the All-Russian rally of hero cities.

The guests were greeted with special warmth, and words of gratitude from the Governor of the Smolensk Region Vasily Anokhin were heard on the stage of the drama theater. The delegations visited the House-Museum, walked through the factory shops where Egorov once worked, and honored his memory at the monument.

These events are not just pages on the calendar. This is recognition that heroism is not always in battle. Sometimes it is in modest daily work, in honesty, in loyalty, in memory.

The ERKONPRODUKT Group of Companies is especially proud to preserve and pass on the history of its fellow countryman.

For the team, this is not a formality, but a matter of honor. Mikhail Egorov is not only a hero of the country. He is a symbol of human dignity, modesty and true strength. Every May, we bow our heads in gratitude. Every day, we continue to live in such a way as to be worthy of this memory.