The solemn rally "In memory of the fallen, for the glory of the living!" was held at the military burial site in the village of Shukhovtsy, Dubrovensky district
Delegations from the Vitebsk and Smolensk regions met at the 605th kilometer of the Brest-Minsk-Moscow highway. The honorable right to open the updated monument was granted to the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies Dmitry Demidov, the Chairman of the Smolensk Regional Duma Igor Lyakhov, Valentina Lyapunova, a native of the village of Zastenki, and Stanislav Rusanov, a student of the Osintorfskaya school.
- Fierce battles took place in the Dubrovensky district in 1943-1944. The front was here for 9 months. Only the cohesion of peoples and unity made it possible to break the backbone of the fascists. And we must ensure that the youth knows this and passes it on from generation to generation, - said Dmitry Demidov at the rally.
Igor Lyakhov emphasized that today Belarus and Russia are celebrating significant dates in a united front.
– The signing of the Treaty on the Creation of the Union State by our countries is an important event in the life of Belarus and Russia, – said the Chairman of the Smolensk Regional Duma. – Not only economic tasks were paramount in this document, but also the understanding that we have always stood shoulder to shoulder against the West. Our states have fully experienced the so-called "European campaigns." Therefore, we must use every opportunity to talk about the Great Victory, about our losses, about the friendship of our fraternal peoples.
The memory of 1927 Red Army soldiers is immortalized in the mass grave in the village of Shukhovtsy. Citizens of 12 republics of the Soviet Union are buried here, – noted the Chairman of the Dubrovensky District Executive Committee Anatoly Lukashov. – Of these, 250 are residents of the Smolensk region.
Restoration work was carried out thanks to partial investors, the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, and the Regional Council of Deputies.
The discussion about the Union State continued during a dialogue platform with the participation of youth from Russia and Belarus – parliamentarians, representatives of student self-government, and members of military-patriotic clubs.
The speakers included Dmitry Demidov, Igor Lyakhov, Vyacheslav Durnov, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Anastasia Gapeeva, Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Smolensk Region, Yuri Sumaneev, Honorary Consul of Russia in Belarus, and Anatoly Lukashov.
Ilyas Autov, a singer from Kazakhstan, also attended the event.