- 20.02.2026 06:55
Ski tradition expands horizons
The traditional Tula State University ski trip to the monument to the hero-partisan Sergey Alekseyevich Kozyrev in 2026 gathered a record number of participants.
One of the most significant university traditions has been around for more than thirty years. It originated on the initiative of student activists and the Department of Physical Education and Sports of TulSU. The organizers have found a way not only to celebrate Fatherland Defender`s Day, but also to combine sports and patriotic education. Many generations of students and teachers have been coming together every year on the eve of February 23 to pay tribute to the memory of the partisan S.A. Kozyrev, whose modest obelisk is located in the forests near Kosaya Gora.
The choice of the location is not accidental. The partisan, in whose honor the monument was installed, fought on Tula soil and showed exceptional courage in the fight against the invaders, his detachment made a significant contribution to the Tula defensive operation. His feat for the younger generation is an example of perseverance and love for the Motherland.
On the morning of February 20, 2026, the TulSU campus was lively, with students and teachers gathering for a patriotic march. Representatives of all institutes of the university, cadets of the Military Training Center named after the Tula Workers' Regiment, teachers and staff participated in the campaign.
This year, students from the TulSU Institute of International Education from Chad, Tanzania and Equatorial Guinea also expressed a desire to participate in the campaign.
Despite the fact that this year the weather conditions were, one might say, extreme, and the winter brought large snowdrifts, the patriotic march not only took place, but also went beyond the university level – employees of the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Tula region, activists of the Young Guards of United Russia and a volunteer company joined the campaign.
– With this campaign, we pay tribute to the memory of Sergey Alekseyevich Kozyrev, the partisan defender of the city of Tula in the Great Patriotic War, who fought valiantly and died in 1941 for his homeland, we pay tribute to the memory of all the defenders of the fatherland of our country who performed a feat in the Great Patriotic War, a tribute to the defenders of Russia participating in a special military operation and fighting for sovereignty and the security of our country," said Olesya Yevgenyevna Labadze, TulSU Vice Rector for International and Project Activities.
Preserving historical memory is not only important for each of us as individuals. It is also our sacred duty as a citizen of the country, as the Constitution of the country says that the Russian Federation honors the memory of the defenders of the Fatherland and ensures the protection of historical truth. Reducing the importance of the heroic deed of the people in the defense of the Fatherland is not allowed.
On behalf of the rector of the University Oleg Aleksandrovich Kravchenko, she thanked all the participants of the hike for participating in the action and the administration of the ski base for their support in holding the event.
Pavel Viktorovich Pashkov, director of the Stimul Sports Club at TulSU, noted the athletic spirit of the students and emphasized that such events are important for all of us, because the memory of heroes carried through the years unites generations. Then the march started, after which the column of skiers headed to the monument to hero Kozyrev and all those who fell during the Great Patriotic War. A wreath was laid at the memorial, and a minute of silence was observed.
Tea and porridge from the field kitchen are an integral part of the tradition. The organizers and participants discussed the prospects for the development of the campaign.
Dmitriy Litvinov
Photographs by Ilya Khodakovskiy
