Representatives of regional authorities and public associations congratulated Anatoly Terentyev, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, on his 95th birthday.
In 1941, Anatoly Terentyev did not go to the front – he was a teenager. However, staying with his family in occupied Vitebsk, he joined the underground group of Nikolai Nagibov. The young man knew German well, so he was a valuable informant – he learned about the enemy's plans, counted enemy echelons and troop numbers. He also participated in sabotage operations.
Anatoly Nikonovich was drafted into the army in 1944 after the liberation of the regional center – he was involved in demining territories. He learned about the defeat of Nazi Germany from a radio broadcast, and his first feeling was pride for the Soviet people who managed to rid the world of fascism. After the Victory, the Vitebsk resident's service did not end – together with his fellow soldiers, he neutralized mines until October 1945.
After demobilization, Anatoly Terentyev returned to Vitebsk and got a job at the Kirov Machine-Tool Building Plant. In parallel, he graduated from the Moscow Polytechnic Institute and became the chief power engineer at the "Evistor" plant.
Anatoly Nikonovich was congratulated on his anniversary by Vladimir Davydovsky, Head of the Main Department of Organizational and Personnel Work of the Regional Executive Committee, and Zoya Krot, Chairperson of the Veterans Organization of the Regional Executive Committee. The honored guests emphasized that there are not many Belarusians left who survived the war years, so their memories of those terrible events are very valuable for today's generation. They are necessary so that we do not forget the feats of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, and do not allow the rewriting of history. The veteran was presented with the highest award of the Vitebsk region – the Certificate of Honor of the Regional Executive Committee – and received congratulations from the head of the region, Alexander Subbotin.
— I am glad that at such a venerable age you are in good health and high spirits, — emphasized Vladimir Nikolaevich. — It is difficult to overestimate your contribution to the victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, and then to the restoration of the country's national economy. Thanks to people like you, we live today under a peaceful sky in an independent Belarus.