Pridnestrovian rowers, rowing professionals and amateurs, including leaders of the country and the city, representatives of state authorities and administrations, have been participating in the Regatta of Memory for 27 years in a row. It is held at the Center for Rowing Sports, known as the "Chaika" (seagull) base of Bendery, in honor of the athletes who died defending Pridnestrovie – USSR masters of sports, champions Andrei Bunin, Yuri Gladkov and Vyacheslav Malchukov. The constant participant of the event is the President of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic Vadim Krasnoselsky. He takes part in the Regatta as part of the veteran eight.
Addressing the sports youth who had gathered on the banks of the Dniester to pay tribute to the feat of the heroes and demonstrate the connection between generations, the PMR President emphasized the importance of such events. Vadim Krasnoselsky spoke about the fact that the world around is changing, the infrastructure is changing, the rowing base has been reconstructed, the current guys are training on new equipment, going out on the water in modern boats.
Despite the fact that the Bendery rowers Bunin, Gladkov and Malchukov are representatives of a different generation, they have the same history with today's sportsmen, they have a common homeland, Vadim Krasnoselsky emphasized.
The commemorative passage is traditionally preceded by a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial plaque of the honored rowing coach Nikolai Tufanyuk, after whom the sports rowing school for children and youth bears.
The regatta participants lowered the boats into the water. Exactly at 4:45 p.m., a siren call sounds, announcing the beginning of a nationwide minute of silence. The boats freeze, the crews put wreaths and flowers on the water in memory of the dead rowers and all the defenders of Pridnestrovie.
