Perm Krai is a territory located on the geographical border between Europe and Asia. It has always been of interest to residents of other regions of the world in historical retrospective. Description of the territory can already be found in the works of Herodotus.
Being open to international cooperation, residents of Perm Krai seek to strengthen international relations, make them long-term and sustainable. After the Second World War, the circle of actors in international cooperation is growing due to the emergence of a twin-city movement. It involves strengthening of economic, cultural and educational ties, including at the level of public diplomacy. The city of Perm has five twin cities: Amnéville-les-Thermes, France (1992), Louisville, USA (1994), Oxford, United Kingdom (1995), Duisburg, the Federal Republic of Germany (2007), Agrigento, Italy (2012) and one partner city – Qingdao, China, (2003).
It is obvious that reliable cooperation is possible only on the basis of mutual understanding, built due to the knowledge of the historical roots of partners, cultural characteristics, and important significant events that irrevocably influenced the fate of millions of people.
The Great Patriotic War became the most important period in recent history for Perm Krai. This small period of historical time is a crucial, epoch-making event for the residents of the region.
The writing team hopes that this publication, having also an electronic version, will allow partners getting to know us, residents of Perm Krai, better, who in the extremely difficult historical period have proved themselves worthy citizens of their country. We not only defended, preserved, but also increased those life values that we are now passing on to our children and grandchildren.
After 75 years from the Victory Day, the writing team did not seek to heroize the “fathers,” but tried to present, as impartially as possible, varied, documented material for self-reflection of society. The generation of great-grandchildren is deprived of the opportunity of direct communication with those who survived this difficult period. They are no longer alive. Therefore, it is important to present the memory of them objectively.
«Do the Russians want war?» The answer is obvious for the team preparing the publication. An interested reader will make a conclusion by himself/herself. There is no doubt that the same conclusion will be made by any interested, self-thinking reader or researcher who is not our compatriot, but who respects jus gentium.