Organization structure and main activities of the Kursk Section of the Soviet War Veterans Committee (late 1960s – early 1990s)

Relevance . Despite the significance of the veterans’ movement in the social life of the USSR, the structural and functional features of its regional branches ‒ in particular, the Kursk section of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans ‒ remain largely unexplored. The purpose - to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the organizational and structural structure of the Kursk Section of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans, taking into account the socio-political changes of the era and regional specifics. Objectives : using archival documents and scientific literature, to identify the main activities of the regional section of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans and demonstrate its interactions with regional party bodies and other organizations. Methodology . To achieve the stated goals and objectives of the study, the author relied on the principles of objectivity and historicism, using historical-comparative, retrospective, and historical-genetic research methods. Results . The study revealed the role of the regional veterans' organization as a social institution. Patterns of its formation and functioning were identified, and the main activities of the Kursk Section of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans were characterized. Conclusion . The Kursk Regional Section of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans was founded in late 1969 and made a significant contribution to the unification and support of veterans. Its activists successfully addressed the social and everyday needs of members and engaged them in patriotic education. The regional section's work was not always effective. The veterans community was criticized for insufficient preparation of public lectures and reports. At times, the criticism was subjective, placing excessive demands on veterans, even though most lacked the skills to develop theoretical materials. Due to a lack of proper cooperation with regional authorities, the issue of providing veterans with housing was slowly resolved. Overall, the Kursk Section of the Soviet Committee of War Veterans successfully fulfilled its organizational and functional objectives.