This is an absolutely unusual or, let's say, extraordinary case: I've been contacted by a WW2 veteran called Felix Sergeevich Makhov (a former orphanage director), who needed help in raising funds to record a song dedicated to the memory of the Unknown Soldier. The background to this is as follows: In 1942, as a 14 year-old boy, Felix ran off to the front from Bashkiria in order to defend his country alongside his father, who was already there. And now, 60 years later, Felix Sergeevich and his friend - amateur composer Leonid Yevsikov - have decided to write a song and call it "Eternal Flame - Unknown Soldier". Because actually there is still no song dedicated to the feats of the Unknown Soldier: there's a monument and the eternal flame, but no song. And he wanted not only to write this song, but to record it and enter it for the national Andrey Petrov Competition. So Felix Sergeevich asked me as a Duma deputy for help and I sent a formal deputy's request to the Russian Minister of Culture Alexandr Avdeev.

I got a quick reply from the Ministry of Culture. They were very positive on the text of the song and also agreed to provide funds to record it in a studio in St.Petersburg (which is where the authors now live). The song is to be performed by the choir of the Children's Musical Theatre under Marina Landa, with rehearsals due to begin soon.

In the autumn of 2009 the song "Eternal Flame - Unknown Soldier" will be entered in the Andrey Petrov Competition.

Here's the first verse of the song:

Eternal Flame - Unknown Soldier

You were purer, bolder and better than the others.

You were ahead in the attacks and dashing battles.

We remember your life and are proud of you.

We have lit in your honour this Eternal Flame...