St. Petersburg opens street named after Commissioner Grushko

The ceremonial opening of Commissioner Grushko Street took place in the Krasnoselsky District of St. Petersburg on February 3. The new toponym appeared on the initiative of the Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

The event was attended by the leadership of the city police department headed by Police Lieutenant General Roman Pluguin. Also among the guests were Vice Governor Igor Potapenko, transport police officers, cadets, Suvorov military school students, cadets, veterans, and public representatives.

“Today, by opening a street bearing the name of Yevgeny Semyonovich Grushko, we pay tribute not just to a person, but to a symbol of unyielding will and loyalty to duty, who throughout all the days of the siege was the head of the Leningrad police. We are restoring historical justice that connects the past and present, and through specific actions of people, we show that maintaining law and order is the hard work of many people,” emphasized Roman Pluguin.

The choice of location for the street is not accidental. During the Great Patriotic War, the Uritsky Line passed through the territory of the Krasnoselsky District, defended by the 21st Division of the NKVD. Many streets in this district bear the names of Leningrad defenders. During the siege, police officers participated in internal defense, fought enemy landings, helped evacuate the population, prevented desertion and panic, and assisted NKVD agencies.

The Leningrad City Police was the first in the country to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner — one of the highest orders of the USSR. Personally, Yevgeny Grushko was awarded the Orders of Lenin, the Red Banner, Suvorov 2nd Class, the Patriotic War 1st Class, as well as the medal «For the Defense of Leningrad.»