OREANDA-NEWS. On 19 February 2008, on the eve of the Defender of the Fatherland Day, a unique videoconference was held between St Petersburg and the Komi capital, Syktyvkar, proposed by the representative office of the Komi Republic in St Petersburg and with the technical support provided by OJSC North West Telecom. The videoconference connected the soldiers from the Komi Republic who serve in the military unit No. 75752 in Bugry, Leningrad Region, with their parents.

In addition to the main participants, the national service soldiers, the studio of the St Petersburg Branch of OJSC North West Telecom was attended by the officials, originators, and organisers of the videoconference:

- Colonel-General Pavel Alexeyevich Labutin, Member of the Leningrad Region Legislative Assembly,

- Vladimir Yuryevich Timofeyev, Chair of the 15th Municipality of the Vyborgsky District of St Petersburg ,

- Valery Fyodorovich Kyurshin, Representative of the Komi Republic in the North-West Federal District,

representatives of the Leningrad Military District, command of the military unit No. 75752, St Petersburg Komi Community Nevatas, students from the Komi Republic studying in St Petersburg universities, and others.

The studio of the Komi Branch of the OJSC North West Telecom was attended by the soldiers' parents, as well as by:

- Stanislav Yuryevich Khakhalkin, Deputy Chair of the Komi Republic State Council,

- Olga Viktorovna Savostyanova, Chair of the Komi Republic State Council for Social Policy,

- Viktor Vladimirovich Vakulchuk, Military Commissioner of the Komi Republic,

- Pavel Vladimirovich Ladanov, Chief Expert for Young People Policy of the Komi Republic Ministry for Education and Higher Education, and others.

The main goal of the videoconference was to provide parents with the opportunity to speak to their children serving far from home in the Russian army. The soldiers in the St Petersburg studio were telling their parents about their life in the army, wishing their relatives a happy 23rd February (Defender of the Fatherland Day) and 8th March (International Women's Day). The parents and friends in Syktyvkar passed to the soldiers greetings from their loved ones and wished them an "easy" service.

The videoconference included some discussion of the issues of the reform in the Russian Army, development of military education, and patriotic education of young people. Colonel-General Pavel Alexeyevich Labutin, Member of the of the Leningrad Region Legislative Assembly and chair of the guardian council of military unit No. 75752, emphasised the major role military service plays in the development of the personality of the future defenders of the Fatherland: "Military service determines the ability to defend the Motherland. We are grateful to parents and young people for their integrity and patriotism!"

According to Valery Fyodorovich Kyurshin, Representative of the Komi Republic in the North-West Federal District, the videoconference was enjoyed by all its participants: "I am grateful to the administration and employees of North West Telecom for the opportunity they provided to the soldiers from our Republic to talk with their parents."

At the end of the event, its organisers (representatives of the Komi Republican TV Channel) expressed their gratitude to all its participants and personally to Vladimir Akulich, General Director of OJSC North West Telecom, for the technical support provided to the videoconference.