The activities of the search squad of the Vymnyan Kindergarten-Secondary School of the Vitebsk district have been noted at the international level.
In August 2013, representatives of this educational institution won three awards in competitions held by the International Association of Public Search Organizations "People's Memory of the Defenders of the Fatherland". A certificate from the International Competition of Music Video Clips "His Song Resonates Within Me..." was awarded to student Ilya Morozov. He presented his music video clip for the song "Great-Grandfather". Another certificate from this competition was awarded to the music video clip for the song "The Boys Go Searching..." (author - teacher V. Morozov). The keepers of the memory of fallen heroes-liberators were also awarded the Grand Prix of the International Competition-Presentation of Photo Collages-Banners on the History of the Search Movement "My Roads are Like Military Paths...". The authors of the work are teachers of the Vymnya School, the spouses Vyacheslav and Tatyana Morozov. It is thanks to their active civic position that a new area of activity was created on the basis of the school's local history club: search and research work to perpetuate the memory of the soldiers-liberators. The teachers were able to interest students in the idea of returning the fates of fallen soldiers from oblivion.
— There are 14 братских захоронений on the territory of our rural council alone, — Vyacheslav Nikolaevich said. — Not all the names of the liberators resting in this place are inscribed on the memorial plaques. Yet, many people are still trying to find out at least something about their relatives whose fates were seemingly erased by the ruthless war. Many soldiers are still considered missing in action. The search is further complicated by the fact that the villages indicated in the death notices have not existed for many years, and the names of certain districts and rural councils have changed. To help people, we have created an online project on the website of our educational institution, “At the Cost of Life”, dedicated to the memory of the Soviet soldiers who liberated our region.
Currently, 16 students are involved in the research work of the local history club under the patronage of Vyacheslav Nikolaevich. Since 2011, they have been closely studying the lists of fallen soldiers. The young local historians have clarified over 5,200 names of liberators. Thanks to the work of the club members, relatives of the fallen soldiers from Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan have learned about the fates of their relatives. More than forty families have visited the graves of their ancestors. They saw that in Belarus, the memory of the liberators is honored, their graves are maintained, and a respectful attitude towards military history is instilled in the younger generation. For example, in October last year, relatives from Perm visited the grave of Red Army soldier Vladimir Volegov. His grandson Nikolai had been trying in vain for many years to find any information about his grandfather's fate until he came across the website “At the Cost of Life” and shared his story there.
The young local historians found out that the soldier died in battle during the liberation of the Vitebsk region and was buried in the village of Sinyaki. They informed his relatives about this. Nikolai and his adult daughter Evgenia did not delay in visiting the grave of their beloved relative. In the agro-town of Vymno, they also visited the school's historical and local lore museum.
— Many relatives live far from Belarus and, due to various circumstances, cannot come, so they often ask to send a photograph of the memorial plaque with the name of the deceased, — noted Vyacheslav Morozov. — The mass graves are scattered throughout our village council, some are located far from settlements. But this does not mean that they remain forgotten and unkempt. Various organizations and institutions are patronizing the memorial sites: the school, the agricultural enterprise, the post office, the rural outpatient clinic, the House of Culture, the library, individual entrepreneurs. Together, we are trying to preserve the memory of the great feat of the people.
Andrey Zakharov, "Vitbichi"