Yesterday marked the 79th anniversary of the start of the Battle of the Caucasus - a major offensive-defensive operation by Soviet troops in the second period of the Great Patriotic War in the Caucasus and Transcaucasia. On the eve of this significant historical date, at the stele "Vladikavkaz - the city of military glory", Acting Head of North Ossetia Sergei Menyailo, Chairman of the Parliament of the Republic Alexei Machnev, Prime Minister Taimuraz Tuskaev greeted the participants of the patriotic action "Immortal Regiment of Russia at Alania Peak". A few months ago, the head of the regional branch of the Immortal Regiment of Russia OOD Elbrus Bokoev came up with the idea of holding the action at a meeting of the Pobeda republican organizing committee, noting that the head of the Art-Kavkaz charitable foundation Nikolai Khlyntsov had previously asked the regional headquarters to support such a proposal. The action, which was attended by members of the regional branch of the Immortal Regiment of Russia, representatives of the Art-Kavkaz charitable foundation, activists of youth and veteran organizations, the Mountaineering Federation of North Ossetia, is being held for the first time and is aimed at patriotic education of the younger generation. Acting Head of North Ossetia Sergei Menyailo thanked the organizers of the action for their great contribution to perpetuating the memory of the Great Patriotic War, wished them a successful ascent. Greeting the participants of the action, he reminded of the enormous importance of the Battle of the Caucasus in the victory over fascism, and of how important it is to remember the heroic pages of our history. “This year we are celebrating the 79th anniversary of the beginning of the legendary Battle for the Caucasus. Hundreds of thousands of our fathers, grandfathers, mothers did everything to make us win this fierce battle. The capital of our small homeland became the place where Hitler's army wavered. Thanks to the victory of Soviet troops near Vladikavkaz, the German operation "Edelweiss" failed. Vladikavkaz became one of those cities of a great power that forced the enemy to abandon serious geostrategic plans. Today we can proudly say that a large-scale retreat of the German army began at the end of 1942 and early 1943 near the walls of our capital. But, of course, this great victory came at a very heavy price. Hundreds of thousands of Red Army soldiers remained on the battlefield, who gave their lives for their Motherland, for the Caucasus. And we will always remember them, who defended our land at the cost of their lives, ”said the head of the republic. In tribute to the memory of those fierce battles and soldiers who gave their lives for the liberation of the Motherland from the enemy, flowers and wreaths were laid at the foot of the stele "Vladikavkaz - the city of military glory". The names of the heroes were honored with a minute of silence, and volleys from small arms sounded in their honor. After acclimatization in the base camp in the village of Kalak, on July 25 a group of 28 people went to the Alania peak from North Ossetia. The North Ossetian detachment includes Dmitry Koklin, president of the Mountaineering Federation of the North Ossetia-A, master of sports in mountaineering, international rescuer Sergei Yegorin, member of the regional headquarters of the Immortal Regiment of Russia OOD Aslan Bekoev, head of the regional executive committee of the ONF Klim Galiev, chairman of the Committee on youth affairs of North Ossetia-A Ruslan Dzhusoev, servicemen, employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the National Guard, film crews of the TV companies "Alania" and "Ossetia-Iriston". A similar group of 8 people from South Ossetia came forward to meet them. The participants of the action had to overcome the route 1B of the category of difficulty and climb to the top with a height of 3532 meters. However, very difficult weather conditions - strong wind and rain - prevented this from happening. The participants of the ascent met at the Kudar pass. They unfurled a banner with portraits of Heroes of the Soviet Union, a copy of the Victory Banner and the banner of the Immortal Regiment of Russia, held a solemn meeting. Greetings to the participants of the action were also sent by the leadership of the Central Headquarters of the Immortal Regiment of Russia. “Today, like 79 years ago, the Victory Banner flies over the Caucasus again. For the sake of meeting the sunrises under this Banner, raising children, loving and being loved, thousands of our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers shed blood. Having shown a steely will, unparalleled heroism and Caucasian character, they won. And therefore it is not only the Banner of Victory, but also the Banner of the Victors. It is also impossible to defeat us - children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the Winners. While we honor our front-line soldiers, bow before their courage, remember their feat. And this memory is immortal, "- says the greeting of the Central Headquarters of the OOD" Immortal Regiment of Russia ". The safety of the participants in the ascent was ensured by the North Ossetian search and rescue team of the Ministry of Emergency Situations of the Russian Federation. The logistical support of the event was provided by the command of the 58th Army of the Southern Military District.