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More Americans Are Expressing Interest In Soviet World War II Reenactment – Reenactor

© Sputnik / Oleg Knorring / Go to the mediabankFighting around Stalingrad, winter 1942/43
Fighting around Stalingrad, winter 1942/43 - Sputnik International, 1920, 07.04.2023
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WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – More Americans express a growing interest in the reenactment of the Soviet Army related to World War II, reenactor Suhrob Asilov told Sputnik.
Asilov, who was born in the Soviet Republic of Uzbekistan and currently lives in the US state of Pennsylvania, explained his own interest in reenactment and the Great Patriotic War by the fact that he sees veterans and other people who survived during that time.
“I still see this interest. I think, this year there are going to be more people interested in Soviet reenactment after Atomic Heart was introduced. I see a lot of Americans are trying to get more information about that, exactly the time period that was shown on that video game,” Asilov said.
He expressed the hope that this could bring more people to participate in the Soviet reenactment movement.
“I try to not forget for myself and always try to remind the new generation that our family and families of other people that I know suffered a lot from this cruel war,” he said.
After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, the respect for that part of history has decreased and was not at the level it once was during the Soviet era, Asilov recalled. “But now it is getting back,” he reassured, speaking about Uzbekistan.
While the Soviet reenactment movement is quite popular in the US, interest in it is not as high as in the US Navy or US Marine Corps, said Asilov, who represents a senior lieutenant of the Red Army’s 193 Rifle Division. This unit participated in the battles of Stalingrad and Kursk, liberated Poland, and crossed the Oder River in Germany.
“We can definitely talk about hundreds or maybe thousands of people in the US involved in the Soviet reenactment,” he said, adding that these Americans usually start learning about World War II and then find out the role of the Soviet Union in the Victory over Nazism.
The current conflict in Ukraine has not generally affected interest in the Soviet reenactment, although some people left the movement because they are against the idea of the operation, the reenactor said. However, he added, he has not heard any negative reactions toward or fear of the Soviet Army.
“Basically, probably people understand that the Soviet Union 80 years ago has nothing to do with modern Russia and Ukraine. I did not hear about any problems or some negative feedback or something like that from typical Americans that usually visit our events,” he noted.
The reenactment movement is still recovering after pausing its events due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but this year activities may get back to their normal level.
The movement recently held an event in West Virginia a few weeks ago, and another 15-20 will be organized in the Tristate area, which includes the states of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania, this upcoming summer, Asilov said.
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