The 'White Cranes' monument was unveiled in the agro-town of Kopty, Vitebsk region
In fact, "White Cranes" became the final element of the "Line..." consisting of 17 marble slabs, on which the surnames of 1290 liberator soldiers are immortalized. They are installed at the Lenin Komsomol military memorial, known far beyond the borders of Belarus.
— This memorial was hard-won and created by initiative people led by front-line veteran Viktor Stepanovich Tereshchenko. Everything here is done with heart, every detail serves the common goal of preserving the memory of the heroism of Soviet people. We want the present generations to never forget the great feat, which was formed by the selflessness of soldiers in liberating such small settlements, — noted Oleg Matskevich, First Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee.
The five-meter stele is made in the form of three bayonets; the Order of the Patriotic War and a plaque with lines from Rasul Gamzatov's poem, which became immortal thanks to the song performed by Mark Bernes to the music of Yan Frenkel, are placed on a marble base.
The completion of the "Line of Eternal Memory" composition turned out to be poetic, which was appreciated and supported by the founder and ideological inspirer of the memorial, Viktor Tereshchenko. The initiator of the stele's creation was the regional organization of the NGO "Belarusian Union of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan". The head of the "Afghan veterans", Vladimir Motin, a supporter of Viktor Tereshchenko in the endeavor to immortalize the memory of those fallen in Kopty, recalls:
— It took about two years to create the "Eternal Memory Line". But even after its opening, there was a feeling that the composition was not finished, lacking a bright, poignant accent symbolizing the memory of all those who died. Thus, the idea to create the "White Cranes" monument was born. The initiative was supported by the administration of FEZ "Vitebsk" and resident enterprises. The plan was brought to life practically through collective effort: one organization did the design, another poured the foundation, a third assembled the structure, and so on.
FEZ "Vitebsk" clearly understands that to build the future, it is important to remember the past. Speaking at the monument's opening ceremony, the head of the FEZ administration, Mikhail Skurat, noted that schoolchildren and young people were present at the opening ceremony:
— This indicates that the memory of the self-sacrifice of the liberator soldiers is passed down from generation to generation.
In part, for this reason, enthusiasts from Kopti decided to supplement the memorial complex with two more important touches. According to Vladimir Motin, in the future, memorial plaques should appear there, one of them with an appeal to future generations to remember and honor the great feat of the Fatherland's defenders.