May 14, 2025: the memory of Victory in the Great Patriotic War (World War II) is both a cornerstone of the post-Soviet social conscience and a rallying point for all the post-Soviet people regardless of their nationality and political views.

A series of thematic exhibitions of Taganrog children's drawings, which took place in Côte d'Ivoire, France, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, and the USA, was among the most significant Taganrog activities commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Victory.


The drawings of students of two local art schools - "Art Chulan" and Seraphima Blonskaya School - are dedicated to apparently the most tragic and heroic chapter of Russian history, so the artworks captured close public attention.


These drawings reflect many facets of the lives of ordinary people: the exploits of homefront workers, the achievements of the Red Army soldiers, the sufferings of the residents of besieged Leningrad and the occupied territories, and the joy of soldiers returning home and their loved ones. The drawings, as well as the text materials, photographs and the mini-documentary "Taganrog during the Great Patriotic War" (in Russian, French, and German) provided visitors to the exhibitions with the opportunity to better their understanding of this historic period.


The exhibitions were hosted on the premises of the University of Iowa (Iowa City, Iowa, United States), Le Muguet College (Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire), the culture center "Russky Mir" (Antananarivo, Madagascar), in the central square of Naryn (Kyrgyzstan), and in the House of Daniel Cordier (Beziers, France). The mini-documentary "Taganrog during the Great Patriotic War" was produced by Tourism and Foreign Relations Department of Taganrog Local Government; the department is also a co-organizer of the exhibitions.