More than 20 venues in the Vitebsk region have been organized to participate in the regional patriotic event "Victory Dictation".
– On March 22, 1943, the Belarusian village of Khatyn was burned to the ground. Almost all its residents perished at the hands of punitive forces: 149 people, 75 of whom were children. This is a pain that cannot be expressed in words. The example of Khatyn is one of the harshest lessons in our history. It is very important to pass on the baton of memory to the younger generation in order to prevent the recurrence of war and genocide on our land. Traditionally, it is on this day that we hold the "Victory Dictation," – emphasized Zhanna Naritsyna, Second Secretary of the Regional Committee of the BRSM. – We are also launching the regional patriotic campaign "Memory of Generations," which includes a competition of drawings and models of obelisks of the Vitebsk region, the patriotic project "Memory Train," and other events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders.
More than 20 people gathered at one of the venues in Vitebsk – the V. Lenin Regional Library. Among them were representatives of the leadership of the Vitebsk region, public associations, BRSM activists, and winners of various competitions and projects.
– Khatyn is a symbol of the grief of the Belarusian people. There are many such places in the Vitebsk region. Last year alone, six search operations were carried out as part of the case on the genocide of the Belarusian people, – noted Vyacheslav Khrol, Deputy Head of the Main Department of Ideological Work and Youth Affairs of the Regional Executive Committee. – Patriotic education and historical memory are a common cause for the older generation and youth. And the events that are being implemented in the region and the country are significant, they touch the soul and are reflected in each of us.
Natalia Parfenova, a program host at TRK "Vitebsk," shared a personal tragedy in her family related to the Khatyn tragedy.
– My paternal grandmother, Anna Prusova, lost her eldest child, who was three years old, and her mother in Khatyn. It was on that fateful day that she went to the forest to her partisan husband to bring him food, – Natalia Parfenova said. – The punitive detachment arrived, locked them in the bathhouse, and set it on fire. Under the floorboards, a tin can with documents and a charred party membership card were preserved…
Anna Prusova worked as an agronomist and was fluent in German. Thanks to this, she saved many Jewish children from death: she shaved bald patches on their heads, smeared them with brilliant green, and took them away on a cart.
– There were fascists every kilometer, and my grandmother bribed them (with moonshine and lard), saying that she was taking her children to another village to a healer so as not to infect others with typhus, – added Natalia Parfenova. – I am very proud of my grandmother. After the war, alleys of trees with plaques were planted in Israel in honor of people who helped Jews. Anna Prusova's name is among them.
The "Victory Dictation," which participants of the event were to write, consisted of test tasks. The main theme was Khatyn, the genocide of the Belarusian people during the war. There were also questions concerning the memorial sites of Belarus, including the Vitebsk region, and the socio-political situation in the world. 45 minutes were allocated for writing. The questions were prepared by the director of the Vitebsk District Museum, Andrey Kulyabkin.
– This is my first time participating in this event. The theme of the Great Patriotic War is very important for the younger generation. We must not forget the past, but pay special attention to preserving historical memory, – emphasized Yaroslav Ivanov from Vitebsk, a scholarship holder of the special fund of the President of Belarus for the support of gifted students.