The City Museum of Local History houses a photo and military awards of Nikolay Zhigulyov, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a communications officer and a resident of Anzhero-Sudzhensk.

Nikolay Zhigulyov was born on May 9, 1913 in the city of Zima, Irkutsk region. He began his military career in 1935, when he was drafted into the Red Army, and retired in the 1950s with the rank of captain. During the years of service, he received five government awards.

For his participation in the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943), one of the most important battles of the Great Patriotic War, Zhigulyov was awarded the medal of the same name. The officer recalled:

In addition, Zhigulyov established communications between headquarters and neighboring units during the Gorodok offensive operation of 1943. As a result, the Soviet armies advanced on 60 kilometers forward and took as prisoners more than 3,300 German officers. Moscow saluted the participants of the operation, and Zhigulyov received the Order of the Red Star for “honest and conscientious attitude to his work.”

Gold Order of the Great Patriotic War, 1st degree, was awarded to soldiers who contributed to the success of military operations by their courage and steadfastness. Initially, the award was even planned to be called “For Military Valor”. During the war, 324,903 men received the order, and Zhigulyov was among them. In the reward sheet they wrote:

On May 9, 1945, Zhigulyov was 32 years old. He met the news of victory in Germany, in the vicinity of the Elbe River. In the 1950s, a former officer came to Anzhero-Sudzhensk. There, he worked at the mines “Voskhod” and “Fizkulturnik” and headed the civil defense headquarters — the department responsible for the protection and health of personnel, including coal mines.