Alexander Subbotin: The main lessons of our victory are lessons of cohesion and unity of peoples

The main lessons of Victory are the lessons of cohesion and unity of peoples, resistance to violence and enslavement. This was stated by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Subbotin, at a rally near the "Breakthrough" memorial complex, dedicated to the 79th anniversary of the breakthrough of the enemy blockade by partisans of the Polotsk-Lepel zone in the territory of the Ushachi district during the Great Patriotic War.

About 2,000 people gathered to pay tribute to the feat of the Soviet people, the soldiers who brought Victory closer in the Great Patriotic War, and defended the freedom and independence of our Motherland at the cost of their lives. The leadership of the region, delegations from the districts and cities of the northern region, representatives of labor collectives, public organizations, enterprises, youth, and schoolchildren are present here. The emotions on this holiday are pride, pain, and joy for the Victory, noted the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Subbotin.

"Such traditions strengthen the public consciousness of the nation and serve to preserve historical truth. The celebration of the 79th anniversary of the breakthrough of the enemy blockade by partisans of the Polotsk-Lepel zone in the territory of the Ushachi district during the Great Patriotic War is being held on a large scale and has a special patriotic significance. Every year, young people take part in this event. And this year, young people will gather for the first time at the patriotic forum "On Partisan Trails" to show with a concrete example how historical parallels can unite our young people. A number of important events for the region are timed to coincide with the event: the Ushachi Children's Art School was named after a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a participant in the breakthrough of the enemy blockade, and a cultural and art figure of the Ushachi district, Demyan Vladimirovich Krupenya, and the "Flowers of Great Victory" alley was laid on the territory of the Museum of Folk Glory named after Hero of the Soviet Union V.E. Lobanok," noted the head of the region.

He recalled that the legendary breakthrough is one of the three largest partisan battles of World War II, which significantly influenced the course of the liberation operation on the Vitebsk land. For 25 fiery days and nights from April 11 to May 5, 1944, partisans of the Polotsk-Lepel zone destroyed more than 8,000 Hitlerites. They saved and evacuated more than 15,000 civilians from the encirclement.

"We must never forget the cruelty, inhumanity, and atrocities of the enemy on our land. We remember this, and therein lies our strength. The main lessons of our victory are lessons of cohesion and unity of peoples, of resistance to violence and enslavement. The duty of those living today to the fallen is to expose those guilty of the mass genocide of the Belarusian people, to carefully preserve the memory of those terrible events, and not to let the tragedy unfold again on our sacred land. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers rebuilt the economy destroyed by wars and upheavals, and also performed labor feats. And today their example serves as a guide for all of us," stressed Alexander Subbotin.

At this site in 1944, partisans of the Polotsk-Lepel partisan zone blocked the enemy's advance at the cost of their own lives. Fierce and brutal battles were fought 79 years ago in the vicinity of the villages of Staroye Selo and Paperino. The command of the partisan zone assigned the task of breaking through the enemy's encirclement and evacuating civilians from the territory. This was accomplished by 16 partisan brigades of the Polotsk-Lepel partisan zone on the night of May 5. They fulfilled their mission despite the fact that the enemy forces outnumbered the partisans three to one.

The "Breakthrough" memorial complex was opened in the summer of 1974. It became a symbol of the courage and resilience of the partisans who defended this land. A rally was held at this significant site for the region and the entire country as part of the patriotic campaign "Victory Breakthrough".-0-

Photo by Alexander Khitrov

"BELTA"