The memory of Captain A. Kazarsky of the legendary brig "Mercury" is honored today in his homeland in Dubrovno

June 15, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo – BELTA/. The memory of the hero of the Russo-Turkish campaign, captain of the legendary brig "Mercury" Alexander Kazarsky, is honored today in his homeland in Dubrovno, the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Ideological Work Department informed a BELTA correspondent. On the eve of the renowned naval officer's birthday, a memorial rally will be held in Dubrovno, and Crimean pines, donated by students of a Sevastopol school where a monument in honor of the captain's feat and his ship is erected, will be planted. Alexander Kazarsky was born in Dubrovno on June 16, 1797, into the family of a retired provincial secretary. A priest of the Dubrovno Orthodox parish taught Alexander literacy, while a local Catholic priest taught him mathematics, Latin, and French. Through the patronage of his godfather, at the age of 12, Alexander Kazarsky was enrolled in the Black Sea Navigator School in Mykolaiv. From then on, his life was connected with the Russian Navy. In 1829, the 18-gun brig "Mercury" under Kazarsky's command achieved victory in a battle against two Turkish battleships. This is one of the most brilliant episodes of the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, demonstrating the spirit, courage, and skill of Russian sailors. Friends of the brilliant officer included Alexander Pushkin and Pyotr Vyazemsky. Alexander Kazarsky died on his birthday in 1833 in Mykolaiv. Contemporaries of Nicholas I's aide-de-camp believed he was poisoned. Local residents and guests from St. Petersburg, Moscow, Smolensk, Minsk, and Vitebsk, all those interested in and fond of Belarus's naval history, will gather in Dubrovno to pay tribute to their famous countryman. The event is part of the military-patriotic Russian-Belarusian project "Naval Brotherhood is Indestructible." The project is organized through the joint efforts of the All-Russian Public Organization of Marines "Typhoon," DOSAAF of Belarus, the St. Petersburg branch of the Russian Creative Union of Cultural Workers, the Military Information Agency of the Armed Forces of Belarus "Vayar," the Belarusian Officers' Union, the Belarusian Fund "Afghan Memory," and the Union of Navy Veterans and Submariners of St. Petersburg. The project aims to train young sailors and fleet builders from Belarus in Russia, establish a corps of midshipmen, and develop naval programs for the needs of the Union Fleet. As part of this project, a monument in honor of Belarusian sailors is also planned to be opened in Minsk. -0-