Memorial plaque to Dmitry Alekseev, Commander of the 354th Infantry Division, Soviet military commander, Colonel General, participant in the Battle of Moscow in 1941
Zelenograd is a city that grew on the fields of past battles. Here, on the approaches to Moscow, the fate of the capital was decided in the autumn of 1941. Today’s avenues and residential blocks serve as reminders of those who stood their ground at the lines near the village of Kryukovo and Leningradskoye Shosse. One of those heroes, whose name is forever inscribed in the history of the district, is Colonel‑General Dmitry Fyodorovich Alekseev, commander of the 354th Rifle Division. In September 1941, at the height of the defensive battles, Dmitry Alekseev was appointed commander of the newly formed 354th Rifle Division. Fate would have it that his unit almost immediately found itself at the epicentre of events: the division was incorporated into the 16th Army of the Western Front, commanded by General Konstantin Rokossovsky. The soldiers were to take the main blow of the German‑fascist forces on one of the most critical sectors of Moscow’s defence. Alekseev’s division took up positions near Leningradskoye Shosse and in the area of the village of Kryukovo – a place where today the life of a major administrative district of the capital is in full swing. In November and December 1941, fierce and bloody fighting raged here. The enemy was pressing towards Moscow, but the Soviet soldiers, led by their commander, displayed extraordinary fortitude. Under the leadership of Dmitry Fyodorovich Alekseev, the division not only withstood the onslaught but also played a key role in halting the enemy offensive, and then launched a counter‑offensive, driving the enemy back from the walls of the capital. The combat path of the 354th Rifle Division did not end there. Tempered in the Battle of Moscow, it covered thousands of kilometres of war: it took part in the Rzhev‑Sychevka operation, distinguished itself on the Kursk Bulge, and liberated cities in Poland and Germany. The commander himself continued to lead the formation until the very end of the Great Patriotic War. Dmitry Fyodorovich’s merits were duly recognised: in 1955 he was awarded the rank of Colonel‑General. Today, the memory of the distinguished military leader is carefully preserved in Zelenograd. The main material relic is the memorial plaque installed on Building 128. It reminds all who pass by that it was here, on this very land, that the soldiers of his division fought and fell. However, the commemoration did not stop at a single plaque. In 2011, on the initiative of veterans and with the support of the city authorities, the 3rd Western Passage was renamed Alekseev Prospekt. Now one of the key thoroughfares of the district bears the name of the commander who defended these lines. The education system also did not stand aside. The name of Dmitry Fyodorovich Alekseev was given to School № 1353, where students study the history of the war and the feats of their fellow countrymen. Thus, the military valour displayed in the harsh days of 1941 becomes an example for the younger generation, linking the generations of Zelenograd residents together. The memorial plaque, the avenue, and the school are not just toponyms and structures. They are living reminders of the price at which Victory was won. As long as we remember General Alekseev and his soldiers, our gratitude to the defenders of Moscow, who stopped the enemy at the gates of the capital and forever inscribed their names in history, remains alive.
Address: Moscow, Zelenograd, Generala Alekseeva ave., building 128
