SPbGASU is among the universities that are most active in collecting material and technical resources for military personnel participating in the Special Military Operation. The relevant information is posted on the official website of the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. We are talking about the participation of our university in the all-Russian action “Universities for the Front,” coordinated by the department. Moreover, employees independently establish contacts with charitable foundations, military units and, whenever possible, send assistance to soldiers, their families, as well as civilians in the SMO zone.
"Universities for the Front"
“Our university has been collecting humanitarian aid since 2022. As part of the “Universities for the Front” campaign, we organized a collection of material and technical resources for SMO participants. Thanks to the proactive public stance of students, staff and teachers, it was possible to send tactical belts, fog lights, tire inflation guns, thermal underwear, anti-fragmentation glasses, and camouflage nets to the front lines. University staff made trench candles, signing them with words of support,” said Irina Nuryeva, head of the SPbGASU Youth Policy Division.
University activists heard how important this help is from the fighters themselves: the University held two meetings with SMO participants. Thus, the mobilized Aleksandr Malov, during his nine months in the combat zone, felt the importance of supporting the compatriots. Another soldier clarified what possible assistance from students could be useful for the front.
Our students, in turn, try to promptly respond to requests from both soldiers and their families. Fourth-year student of the Faculty of Automobile and Road Building, deputy head of the “Volunteer Company” project “Step towards” Egor Loginov said that young social activists regularly send quadcopters, medicines, and clothes to the front. “We help the families of fighters in everyday life, since it has become difficult for women to do work that requires physical strength. Elderly parents of fighters also faced similar problems, we also help them,” added Egor Loginov.
Books and textbooks - for universities and the population
SPbGASU also makes its contribution to the process of restoring peaceful life in the liberated territories. Elena Romanova, head of the SPbGASU Scientific and Technical Library, recalls how everyone was deeply touched by the sad events that colleagues from Mariupol told about.
“During the fighting, a fire broke out in the library of Mariupol State University, and the library of the Azov State Technical University was flooded as a result of extinguishing shells that hit the roof and facades of the building. A significant part of the book fund was lost. We sent 1972 copies of 29 titles to Mariupol University, and 489 copies of 63 titles to Azov University. These are educational publications on architecture, construction and urban planning, design and construction of highways, and other related areas,” explained Elena Romanova.
In addition, SPbGASU responded to the offer of the Leningrad Region Committee on Transport to help in the formation of the library collection of the city of Yenakievo, Donetsk People's Republic. There is a lack of literature in libraries on construction, architecture and transport, history, economics, Russian language, sociology, finance, and biology. In total, SPbGASU transferred 1,351 copies of 436 titles to Yenakievo. Associate Professor at the SPbGASU Department of Land Transport and Technological Machines Nikolai Podoprigora has been appointed curator for the transfer of books from SPbGASU.
SPbGASU receives feedback from those it helped. Thus, the director of the library of Mariupol State University Lyudmila Davydova thanked not only for the books. “I was impressed by your friendliness and attitude. I think that we will have more joyful reasons for continuing cooperation and communication. Now the renovation is finishing, students are becoming more active. And everything will be great!” – she wrote to Elena Romanova.
In addition, the library received a letter of gratitude from Acting Rector of the Azov Technical University Igor Kushchenko, in which he expressed sincere gratitude to the staff of the SPbGASU library for their great personal contribution and invaluable assistance in reviving the university, its integration into the unified educational space of Russia. “The educational and scientific literature you donated, which entered the fund of the scientific and technical library of our university, was a significant support in organizing the educational process,” the letter says.
Igor Kushchenko and representatives of other universities from new Russian regions also expressed gratitude to Anatoly Asaul, professor at the SPbGASU Department of Construction Economics and Housing and Utility Infrastructure. Anatoly Nikolaevich donated 4,570 copyright educational publications in printed and 116 copies in electronic form to these universities. “Among the recipients are higher educational institutions not only of construction, technical, economic fields, but also agricultural, pedagogical, transport, management and public service, trade,” the professor specified.
Camouflage nets, sapper cats and trips to Donbass
To support the fighters, SPbGASU employee Nadezhda Talash first donated necessary staff to collection points and donated money. Then, in an effort to expand her contribution to the common cause, she contacted relevant charities, where she learned about new ways to help.
“A representative of one of the funds announced a collection of tin cans for making dugout candles. First, I collected the jars, cleaned them and sent them to the fund. Then I learned how to roll cardboard into them for subsequent filling with paraffin. And then I learned about the workshops of the “We Don’t Abandon Ours” foundation, where they weave camouflage nets, and mastered the weaving technique. I also involved my university colleagues in collecting the necessary things. Thus, employees of the SPbGASU fifth building, including Gulnara Maltseva, Margarita Ryzhova and Irina Lapshina, responded. In winter, they helped collect warm jackets, sweaters, hats, scarves, T-shirts, knitted socks, and candle jars. Vice-Rector for Security and Administrative Work Vladimir Solovyev provides great assistance. I will continue to help to the best of my ability, as long as it is necessary,” said Nadezhda Talash.
Associate Professor at the Department of Geotechnics Sergey Lanko also actively participates in helping the participants of the SMO. “If you want to help, you can always find an opportunity for this,” he says.
“An acquaintance of my friend is an engineer of the sapper troops. From him we learned what kind of help is needed in the SMO zone and through what channels to send it. I printed boxes for detonators for sappers, chargers for Kalashnikov assault rifles. In addition, together with a colleague, we used our own funds to order sapper cats made of steel for the front line,” said Sergey Lanko.
Senior lecturer at the Department of Geotechnics Maksim Paramonov delivered the collected aid to new regions. According to him, helping SMO soldiers and civilians is his civic position.
“Together with my neighbor, we purchased 50 walkie-talkies with our own funds, organized the collection of household items needed in the trenches, and then ourselves delivered them to the territory of the SMO for the mobilized from St Petersburg and the Leningrad region. In addition, at our own expense and thanks to the help of relatives, we bought sports equipment for the civilian population (tennis table, balls, nets), toys for children, stationery for schoolchildren, and took them to the Lugansk region,” explained Maksim Paramonov.
Assistance to the fighters of the special military operation and residents of the liberated territories is provided by people of various professions, social status, and age. But they all say with one voice: we help at the call of our hearts.
