"My great-great-grandfather is a hero": how a fifth grader from Zainsk won

      Nikita Shakhmin from Zainsk touched upon the history of the country through his family's story and won in all-Russian research competitions.

      - My name is Nikita Shakhmin. I am in the fifth grade of school No. 6 in the city of Zainsk. Very soon our country will celebrate a great holiday - Victory Day. For me, this year has become special because I finally managed to truly understand what it means "no one is forgotten and nothing is forgotten." Earlier, I watched veterans on television and knew that we defeated the fascists. But now I can say: my ancestor also fought for me to live under a peaceful sky. Everything started with our family album. My grandmother, Lyudmila Andreevna, showed me an old photograph. It featured a young man in military uniform with a group of soldiers. On the back was an inscription: "To be delivered to Salmin Vasily Mironovich. Sending as a keepsake. I. Salmin." And the date - 1914. This photo was taken before World War I. It captures my great-great-grandfather - Salmin Isaac Vasilyevich. I traveled to the village of Stary Tokmak, where I was told many stories about our family. I also visited the city library and the local history museum of Zainsk. In the book "Memory," I found information about the mobilization, death, and burial place of my great-great-grandfather. And in the book "Remember Your Name" - his photograph and an article about his combat path.

      Grandmother told me that my great-great-grandfather fought in two terrible wars (World War I and the Great Patriotic War) and was awarded the George Cross for bravery, which made me very curious. I decided to conduct a whole research project. It turned out that my great-great-grandfather was a real hero. In 1914, he went to the front as a signalman-telephone operator. Can you imagine, repairing communications under fire! In one of the battles, he was wounded in the thigh, but he survived and returned to duty. I also found in the book "Memory" information about how he volunteered to go to the front in 1941. He was 48 years old, but he could not stay on the sidelines. He fought in the 243rd separate mortar regiment of the 11th tank corps.

      The hardest thing for me is to learn that he died. On July 29, 1943, Isaac Vasilyevich fell in battle in the Oryol region. He was only 50 years old. His wife, Avinia Ivanovna, received the death notice in the autumn of that same year. In our family, this paper is kept as a relic. Now my great-great-grandfather rests in a mass grave in the village of Krasnikovo in the Znamensky district of the Oryol region.

      When I was writing this article, I cried. He defended his land, his children, and grandchildren so that we could live. Thanks to this research, I created a huge family tree. It turned out that after Isaac Vasilyevich, there were seven children: Isaac, Tatyana, Anastasia, Vasily, Maria, Valentina, and my great-grandfather Andrey. My great-grandfather lived his whole life in his native village of Stary Tokmak, worked on the railway, and even witnessed the landing of a descending spacecraft on March 9, 1961. Andrey Isaakovich had five children.

      I made a family coat of arms. On it, I depicted a tree (our family), a basket of fruits (labor and abundance), and crossed swords (defense of the Motherland). I managed to restore the family history over five generations. For me, my great-great-grandfather Isaac Vasilyevich is an example. I used to hear the phrase "The Unknown Soldier," but now I know for sure: this soldier has a name.

      For us to remain a great country, we must remember our roots. As long as the memory of people like my great-great-grandfather lives on, Russia will be invincible. Thank him for the Victory! Thank all veterans! I am proud to be the great-grandson of a victorious soldier.

      Research work by 5th-grade student of school No. 6 Nikita Shakhmin about his great-great-grandfather front-line soldier took II place in the All-Russian scientific research competition "Lobachevsky. Breakthrough" (Kazan), I place - in the All-Russian scientific-practical conference for schoolchildren "Step into the Future" (Naberezhnye Chelny), and I place - in the regional scientific-practical conference "Tukaev Readings" (Zainsk). Scientific supervisor - English teacher of school No. 6 Aliya Mullakaev.

      Photo by the author

      Roza Ilaltdinova

      

      More news about the event:

      "My great-great-grandfather is a hero": how a fifth-grader from Zainsk won

      Nikita Shakhmin from Zainsk touched upon the history of the country through his family's story and won in all-Russian research competitions.

      - My name is Nikita Shakhmin. 12:52 10.05.2026 Zainsk-inform - Zainsk

      

      "My great-great-grandfather is a hero": how a fifth-grader from Zainsk won

      Nikita Shakhmin from Zainsk touched upon the history of the country through his family's story and won in all-Russian research competitions.

      - My name is Nikita Shakhmin. 12:24 10.05.2026 News of Zainsk - Zainsk

      

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