In the Babinichi secondary school of the Vitebsk region, the memory of two graduates - Heroes of the Soviet Union - was immortalized
Yegor Vasilevsky was born in the village of Gorbachevo, Vitebsk district. Today, this settlement does not exist. In 1939, after completing seven grades at Babinichi School, he was drafted into the Red Army and sent to the Odessa Military Aviation School. Until 1942, he served as a flight instructor. Then he went to the front, liberating Ukraine, Romania, Hungary, and Austria. In November 1944, Captain Vasilevsky commanded a squadron of the 151st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment of the 2nd Ukrainian Front. He made 262 combat sorties, participated in 68 air battles, and shot down 25 aircraft. In May 1946, for "exemplary fulfillment of command assignments, courage and heroism shown in battles with the German invaders," Yegor Vasilyevich was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Vladimir Kurilenko was born in Babinichi. He attended the local school. His father, a village teacher, was transferred to work in the Smolensk region before the war. Volodya, who graduated from the 9th grade in Velizh in 1941, sent his documents to the Leningrad Naval School, but the dream of the sea was destroyed by the invasion of fascist hordes... Due to his young age, Kurilenko was not drafted into the Red Army. However, together with other Komsomol members in the occupied territory, he organized an underground group that collected weapons and ammunition. In January 1942, the young man joined the partisan detachment named after sailor Zheleznyak. There he led a group of saboteurs. In May of the same year, Kurilenko and his comrades headed towards the village of Saleniki to derail an enemy echelon. The charge detonated so powerfully that 11 wagons and the locomotive were destroyed, and 300 German soldiers and officers were killed. But suddenly, punitive detachments arrived. Kurilenko, who was not yet 18 years old, died from the wounds received in that battle. The body of the young partisan, who was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union for his courage, heroism, and bravery, was reburied in Smolensk on the Alley of Heroes. In his homeland, according to the director of the Babinichi Secondary School, Tatyana Kamarovskaya, the memory of heroic graduates is preserved:
— Research work has been carried out at our school for a long time. Stands dedicated to local heroes are displayed in the school's local history museum. The students and teachers were inspired by the idea of learning as much as possible about these outstanding people who fought for the freedom of our homeland. We know that Vasilevsky was discharged from the Soviet Army in 1958 with the rank of colonel and lived in Vitebsk. He passed away in 1991. His son, who currently lives in Minsk, gave permission to name the school after him. We have not yet been in contact with Kurilenko's relatives, but it turned out that my classmate, who lives in Vitebsk, is his niece. Our young history enthusiasts will definitely contact her to gather information about the partisan hero who died in the Smolensk region.
After the solemn ceremony concluded, its participants and guests proceeded to the military burial site to honor the memory of the Red Army soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War while liberating the agro-town.
