Take a look at these faces. Mishenka Shamonin was fourteen years old, Vanya Belokashkin and Petrakov Sasha were sixteen when they were killed. Valera Meyer was seventeen. Kolya Gusev was nineteen. Ray Bochlen was twenty... What's next? Meyerhold was sixty-five. Rybnikova Matrena Ivanovna was seventy-four.
... They could all have lived on. Loved, had children or grandchildren, read and written poetry, simply walked under the sun or in the rain. It's not about age. Not about profession. Not about talent. Life cannot be taken away. Yet they were killed.
They were killed just like that. For a tick mark, for a plan, to intimidate those who were still alive. It's too late to help them now. We can only help ourselves and our children.
What can we do?
Seemingly little. We can preserve the memory. Of these once living people. — But also of the monsters. List and remember all their crimes. Speak about them. Remind those who do not know, and even more so — those who do not want to know.
History should not repeat itself. Yet it does. Why?
Because we do not remember. In order to remember, we create a memorial website. We publish and publish stories, photographs, documents, narratives.
Three years ago, we launched the website. Quickly and not entirely perfect. But it started working and has been functioning ever since. Back then, we couldn't even imagine that the project would grow so much. Both in terms of content and visitors. We improved the resource as much as we could during this time. Besides personal pages of the repressed, we created a unified database of repression victims (with a volume of over 300 memory books). The need for articles emerged. The site grew, its traffic increased, and thousands of pages of documents were published for the first time, such as "Stalin's execution lists." And now we urgently need a properly functioning mobile version, radical improvements. As you know well, we will never receive any grants, any attempts to find funding are hindered by dependencies on someone or something. Such projects are currently not needed by the state.
The project should not fall under anyone's control. Family history should be independent, and our resource should be collective. Three years ago, we were supported by over 300 people, and the names of many who wished to become open shareholders were placed on a special page, you can see them there, it's the "Project Shareholders." Thank you again, dear ones.
Now it's time to take the second step - it's time to replenish the ranks of shareholders and improve the website. We are turning to you for support. No one else will help us but ourselves.
Times are tough for everyone, but by investing in our common project, we are investing in the future. Can you? Do you want to? - Help.
Don't forget to include your name if you want it to appear on the page of project supporters. Let's update our website together for the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Repression.
Let's preserve the memory together!