Zainsk resident Irina sews for victory and received the "For Aid to the Front" medal.

      Irina from Zainsk sat down at a sewing machine as soon as her son was mobilized.

      Irina Pozdnyakova creates not just garments but a piece of care for those on the front line. This year her titanic labor was recognized with the medal "For Assistance to the Front." But for her the main reward is the gratitude of the fighters and the thought that her son, though wounded, is alive. The needle confidently pierces the fabric, stitch by stitch new pants or a pajama set is born. For Irina from Zainsk this is not just a sewing process. This is her personal front, her prayer and her weapon in the fight for the lives of our soldiers. From the very beginning of the special military operation, when her only son with the callsign "Malysh" was mobilized, she took up needle and thread.

      "My son recently told me: 'Mom, I left, you helped the front, three years have passed, you keep helping,'" Irina recalls with pride and sadness in her voice.

      Her tally is not in single items but in thousands rescued from everyday hardships. Five thousand pairs of underwear, 570 pairs of pants and shorts, 800 pajamas for hospitals and even a special "invisibility" suit against thermal imagers — that is her contribution to the common cause. Every stitch is a thought of her son, his comrades, of everyone defending the Motherland.

      This year has been a test of endurance for her. Her son was wounded twice. Her husband suffered a heart attack. But Irina did not break and did not abandon her work. In December she will mark the third year of her volunteer activity. Her strength lies in faith and maternal love, which has extended to all the fighters.

      "I started helping with thoughts of my son. Back then it seemed to me that if I helped, God would keep my son safe. At present he has already buried everyone who left to serve under mobilization with him. For me now there is no division between those at the front. They are all somebody's sons. They all need help," she shares.

      Irina began her volunteer path following an announcement by Elena Khisamutdinova, head of the Zainsk movement for making camouflage nets. Then she joined the "Zakamye—Help to Hospitals" movement led by Natalya Berezina. She cuts, sews, packs. Work is in full swing.

      Fighters in feedback thank her for the camouflage nets, for the instant soups. But for underwear — rarely. So one case lodged in her soul forever.

      "Once a young man sent me a video in which he thanked me for the underwear. He was the first to thank me, I even teared up, it was so pleasant, I corresponded with him for a long time. And then, word by word, maybe three or four months later I learned that, apart from his grandmother, he had no relatives. And his mother's name was the same as mine, Irina."

      This fighter is named Ivan, callsign "Skat," a tanker from Kaluga Oblast. Irina sent him a package for the New Year. But contact was lost eight months ago. She still worries and hopes that he is alive and received her gift.

      Her son, "Malysh," during the entire period of mobilization came home on leave only because of an injury. Irina has two children, but her son is her only son. And while he fights the enemy with a weapon in his hands, she fights here in Zainsk against her pain, fear and fatigue, creating the most necessary things for those on the front line.

      Her story is one of incredible resilience, maternal love that became a strength for an entire army. She does not seek fame. For her the medal "For Assistance to the Front" is a shared award. An award for everyone who, like her, believes in victory and does everything they can for it. Even if it's just a pair of new soldiers' underpants.

      Photos by the author and from Irina's personal archive

      Aigul Yarullina

      More news about the event:

      Resident of Zainsk Irina sews victory and received the medal "For Assistance to the Front"

      Irina from Zainsk sat down at a sewing machine as soon as her son was mobilized. 11:09 26.11.2025 Zainsk-Inform - Zainsk

      "They are all somebody's sons. They need help": Zainsk volunteer sewed 5,000 items for the special military operation

      Resident of Zainsk Irina Pozdnyakova has been sewing for hospitals and participants in the special military operation for almost three years. 10:55 26.11.2025 Tatar-Inform News Agency - Kazan

      Resident of Zainsk Irina sews victory and received the medal "For Assistance to the Front"

      Irina from Zainsk sat down at a sewing machine as soon as her son was mobilized. 10:27 26.11.2025 Zainsk News - Zainsk

      News from neighboring regions on the topic:

      Everything for victory: participants in the special military operation send thanks from the front

      Our fighters continue to thank Mytishchi residents for the humanitarian aid provided. 22:04 24.11.2025 First Mytishchi TV Channel - Mytishchi