Sergei Kravtsov awarded winners of International Essay Contest “Without a Statute of Limitations”

On May 7, the Victory Museum hosted an award ceremony for the winners and
prize-winners of the International Essay Contest and the All-Russian Research
Project Contest “Without a Statute of Limitations”. The event was attended by the
Minister of Education of the Russian Federation, Sergey Kravtsov. The best works
were presented by 92 schoolchildren and college students.
“Congratulations on the upcoming Great Victory Day! Every year, more and more
schoolchildren participate in all events of the 'Without a Statute of Limitations'
project. Over the years of its implementation, it has brought together over 7
million schoolchildren. In 2026, over 500,000 applications were submitted for the
essay contest. It is important that every year, children from friendly countries join
the essay contest. The key task today is preserving historical memory among the
younger generation, so that students study authentic documents and develop a
well-reasoned understanding of the horrors of Nazism,” said Sergey Kravtsov.
The Minister also quoted excerpts from the best participants' essays and presented
three students with diplomas and commemorative gifts, while their teacher-
mentors received letters of gratitude.
The absolute winners of the International Essay Contest received awards from the
Minister: Veronika Smirnova, a student at School No. 509 in the Krasnoselsky
District of St. Petersburg, and her mentor Vasilisa Barabanova; Sofiya Dimakova
and her mentor Maria Kostina from Multidisciplinary Lyceum No. 1 in Donetsk;
and Matvey Kuznetsov with his teacher Larisa Ivankova from Lyceum No. 1
named after Hero of the Soviet Union Dmitry Yezersky in Zhukovka, Bryansk
Region.
Zhanna Alekseeva, State Secretary, Deputy Minister of Culture of the Russian
Federation, noted that collaborative work helps strengthen traditional spiritual and
moral values, protect historical memory, and counteract the falsification of worldhistory.
“It is very important to preserve the memory of the tragedy of the Great Patriotic
War and the courage of the Soviet people, and to pass this knowledge on to future
generations, to our youth. A special role in this noble cause is played by the
teacher-mentor, who not only shares knowledge but also helps shape moral
compasses. And today we are proud to see that a worthy generation is growing up
in Russia, capable of preserving the values our heroes defended. This is confirmed
by the numerous contest participants and their outstanding research works,”
Zhanna Alekseeva emphasized.
In 2026, over 500,000 schoolchildren and students from all regions of Russia, as
well as students from educational institutions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
and foreign countries, took part in the project's contest events. Representatives
from nine countries submitted over a thousand essays.
The rector of Moscow State Pedagogical University, Alexey Lubkov, delivered a
welcoming speech.
“This year has been declared by the President as the Year of Unity of the Peoples
of Russia, and the 'Without a Statute of Limitations' project is precisely designed
and aimed at strengthening this unity not only territorially but, above all,
spiritually and educationally. I am glad that different cities and towns of our vast
Motherland are represented here, that our brothers from the Republic of Belarus,
Kazakhstan, and other CIS countries are present. This force defeated fascism, and
victory will always be with us,” said Alexey Lubkov.
During the ceremony, winners and prize-winners of thematic categories of the All-
Russian Contest were also recognized: “Planning and Implementation of Genocide
by Nazi Germany in the USSR: Documents, Figures, and Organizations,” “War
Crimes of the Occupiers on the Territory of the USSR”, “Condemnation of the
Genocide of the Soviet People (to the 80th Anniversary of the End of the
Nuremberg Trials)”, and “Reflection of Genocide in Archival Documents:Working with Historical Sources from the Archival Fund of the Russian Federation
and Electronic Databases of Historical Sources”.
Honored guests of the event included representatives from the Ministry of
Education of the Russian Federation, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian
Federation, the Federation Council and the State Duma, the Russian Search
Movement, the National Center for Historical Memory under the President of the
Russian Federation, all-Russian children's centers, Moscow State Pedagogical
University, the “Movement of the First”, and other organizations.
“This is a significant and heartfelt contest. As long as memory lives, the truth
about that terrible war lives on. It is gratifying that today's schoolchildren and
students do not just read dry lines from textbooks, but channel the tragedy of
civilians through their hearts and pens. 'Without a Statute of Limitations' is not
just a name; it is a moral principle. Thank you to the children for their sincere
work and to Minister Sergey Kravtsov for his personal attention to such important
projects. Receiving awards at the Victory Museum on the eve of May 9 is a great
honor and an incentive for all of us to remember our roots,” noted Irina Kornilova,
Doctor of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, and Professor at the Russian
Academy of Natural Sciences.