Russian WWII veteran launches charity appeal inspired by UK's Tom Moore

Zinaida Korneva, World War II veteran with her great-great grandchild Richard Panov in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, May 5, 2020.
Zinaida Korneva, World War II veteran with her great-great grandchild Richard Panov in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, May 5, 2020. Copyright Dmitry Panov via APDmitry Panov
By Euronews with AP
Share this articleComments
Share this articleClose Button

Zinaida Korneva, 97, has launched a Youtube channel with videos in which he tells of her trials as a WWII Red Army officer.

ADVERTISEMENT

A 97-year old Russian Word War II veteran is hoping to replicate the fundraising prowess achieved in the UK by Captain Tom Moore and assist in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in her country.

Zinaida Korneva said she was spurred into action after watching a video of Thomas Moore, who raised nearly £33 million (€37.7 million) for charity last month by walking 100 laps around his garden in the lead up to his 100th birthday.

Instead of walking, Korvena has launched a YouTube channel with videos in which she recaps her trials as a Red Army soldier in the Stalingrad region.

Courtesy of Zinaida Korneva via AP
Soviet Army sergeant Zinaida Korneva, pictured during World War II.Courtesy of Zinaida Korneva via APDmitry Panov

In just five days, she has collected $26,000 (€24,000) for the families of Russian doctors — over half of her $40,000 (€37,000) target.

In a video shared on YouTube last week, Korneva said: "Hello Tom, I learned about your story. You are a strong person and a real soldier."

"We defeated fascism together in 1945. And now, together, we're fighting against this (corona) virus," she added.

To show her appreciation further, Korneva has knitted wool socks for Moore, which she mailed earlier this week in the hope they would reach him ahead of Victory Day on May 8.

Dmitry Panov via AP
Zinaida Korneva, World War II veteran, shows the socks she knitted for UK veteran Thomas Moore, in St. Petersburg, Russia, Tuesday, May 5, 2020.Dmitry Panov via APDmitry Panov

She said she hopes the socks keep the newly promoted Colonel Tom warm "with love from Russia."

She also included a letter featuring a Soviet war poem.

Russia traditionally holds a military parade every year to mark the end of World War II but events, scheduled for May 9, have been postponed this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Share this articleComments

You might also like

Italy raises security alert level for Easter weekend following Moscow attacks

Prime Ministers of Poland and Ukraine make progress on easing farmer anger

French budget deficit rose to 5.5% in 2023