March 5, 2014: Over 15 000 Taganrog citizens gathered to welcome the arrival of the Paralympic torch to Taganrog.

Today Taganrog welcomed the Paralympic torch relay, being the 45th Russian city on its route to Sochi. The Paralympic torch relay started from the Peter the Great monument with a staged performance dedicated to history of Taganrog. The first torch was lit from fishermen's bonfire and the first torchbearer was Vladislav Bobrovnik, two-time taekwondo champion at 2013 22nd Summer Deaflympics and 2009 21st Summer Deaflympics.

Among other Paralympic torchbearers were other athletes from Taganrog and Rostov Oblast: Yevgeny Zimin - silver and bronze medalist of 2012 Paralympic Games in London; Pavel Kharagezov - bronze medal winner at 2009 Paralympic Games in Beijing, silver and bronze medalist at 2013 International Paralympic Committee (IPC) athletics world championship in Lyon; Alexander Yelmin - gold medal winner of the men's shot put event at the European Athletics championships, and Kristina Barabanova - national champion in disabled swimming.

The procession went through downtown Taganrog up Petrovskaya street, where torchbearers stopped to meet thousands of city residents who came to welcome each athlete. The Taganrog leg of the 2014 Paralympic torch relay was set to finish in front of the Taganrog Youth Palace, where Yevgeny Zimin and Vasily Golubev, Governor of Rostov Oblast lit the Taganrog City's Paralympic Flame.