A commemorative rally dedicated to the 35th anniversary of the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was held in Vitebsk
Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies Vladimir Terentyev, Deputy Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Vyacheslav Durnov, representatives of the city authorities, labor collectives, and the public laid wreaths and flowers at the memorial, honored the memory of the fallen with a minute of silence, and once again recalled the events of that war.
– For Vitebsk, the Day of Remembrance of Soldiers-Internationalists is a particularly important date, as it was the residents of our city who were the first to see off soldiers and officers of the 103rd Guards Separate Airborne Division and pilots of the 339th Military Transport Aviation Regiment to Afghanistan, the first to receive death notices, – emphasized Deputy Chairman of the City Executive Committee Viktor Glushin. – Today we remember the fallen and mourn them together with their mothers, wives, widows, comrades-in-arms, and relatives. The memory of the heroes of the Afghan war will always live in our hearts.
Viktor Glushin thanked the veterans of the war in Afghanistan for their military-patriotic education of youth. The commander of the 103rd Vitebsk Guards Separate Airborne Brigade, Guards Colonel Vladimir Safonov, promised the soldiers-internationalists that the servicemen would preserve combat traditions and sacredly honor the memory of the heroes who died in Afghanistan. Special words of gratitude were heard on this day by the widows and wives of the fallen, as well as women who served in that war.
The event was attended by soldiers-internationalists who directly participated in the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. They still remember how happy they were when they returned home to their loved ones. One of them is retired Lieutenant Colonel Ivan Burlaka.
– I returned home on February 12, 1989, at three in the morning. I clearly remember how we shouted "Hurray!" when the pilot told us we were on Soviet territory, – Ivan Burlaka shared his memories. – We were glad that this war was over, that we no longer had to send our guys as cargo "200", so the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Afghanistan was a long-awaited event for us.
At the end of the event, the names of all 160 natives of Vitebsk region who gave their lives while fulfilling their international duty were announced. In memory of the fallen, gun salutes were fired to the sounds of the national anthem.
