Live format of enlightenment: how they talk about Donbas in Nizhny Novgorod

      April 1, 2026 14:55 Society The Russian society "Knowledge" organized a series of educational lectures for the project Knowledge.State. Thus, a meeting was held at the site of the Social Fund of Russia in the Nizhny Novgorod region with the lecturer from the educational organization, Deputy Chairman of the Public Chamber of Nizhny Novgorod Roman Permyakov. The lecture "Returning Home" (12+) was dedicated to the inclusion of historical territories into Russia. Roman Permyakov spoke about humanitarian missions, supporting his words with personal footage from Donbas, which he has been documenting since 2022. The audience saw rare footage capturing the course of the referendum in the new regions, as well as heard excerpts from interviews where residents of Donbas and Novorossiya shared their emotions regarding reunification with Russia. "I try to talk about these events as I would to friends and family — simply and with utmost honesty. I share what I saw with my own eyes: I show photos and videos taken on my phone in 2022, excerpts from interviews with local residents, and tell about the amazing people I had the chance to meet, their difficult but bright fates - their daily heroism, love for their neighbors, and our common Motherland. About what we can learn from them and how their time of trials has changed them," shared the lecturer from the Society "Knowledge." During the meeting, participants were shown a fragment of the documentary "Blood Brothers" (16+). This is the first work dedicated to the assistance that the Nizhny Novgorod region and its residents provide to Donbas. The film was created last year through the joint efforts of journalists from NOIC and Nizhny Novgorod public activists during one of the humanitarian trips. The film tells about the systematic and diverse support that the region provides to the sister cities of the DPR: Khartsyzk, Zugres, Ilovaisk, and Mangush — involving the efforts of the regional government, specialized professionals, and volunteers. Special attention in the film is given to the events of 2014 in the city of Zugres: as a result of shelling of the city beach by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 19 civilians were killed, including 3 children. Soon after establishing sister city ties, one of the first decisions initiated by Governor Gleb Nikitin was the improvement of the memorial complex "13.08. Point of No Return." The central focus of the film is on the people. Many of them faced serious difficulties in previous years, but today they sincerely thank the residents of Nizhny Novgorod for the support that came during their most challenging times. The lecturer explained how to get involved in the large volunteer movement in the Nizhny Novgorod region, talked about the activities of the unified coordination center for supporting the special military operation in the region — the "House of National Unity," the results of the work of the Nizhny Novgorod government and volunteers in the sister regions. In addition, Roman Permyakov shared what kind of assistance is currently most in demand at the front, including discussing the #mototofront campaign for sending motorcycles to the front lines. NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" has a Telegram channel. Subscribe to stay updated on major events, exclusive materials, and timely information. Copyright © 1999—2025 NIA "Nizhny Novgorod." When reprinting, a hyperlink to NIA "Nizhny Novgorod" is required. This resource may contain materials 18+.