A reconstructed memorial complex has been opened in the village of Shapyry, Vitebsk district
Vladimir Terentyev, Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, noted that the memorial site was reconstructed in three months. Approximately 125 thousand rubles were spent on these purposes, earned at a volunteer work day in the Vitebsk region. He thanked the search teams for their work, as well as those who maintain the mass graves and memorials in proper condition.
– Our task is to preserve the memory of these people through the memorials and to emphasize that thanks to them, we live in a free country today, and our flag flies near the UN headquarters building, – added Vladimir Terentyev.
Today, there are about 1.5 thousand memorial sites from the war period in the Vitebsk region, where about 450 thousand people are buried. Of these, over 210 thousand names have been identified.
– “Memory of the Heart” is a tribute to the heroic generation of grandfathers and great-grandfathers, – noted Zhanna Naritsyna, Second Secretary of the regional organization of the BRSM. – The project is an initiative of our youth. It is very important for us not to allow the rewriting of history. The main thing today is that young people know the true facts about the terrible events of the war years.
The gravestones of the mass grave in Shapur bear the engraved names of over 17,000 Soviet soldiers who died in 1943-1944 during the liberation of Belarus. Over 600 names have been added this year alone. This is the largest military burial site from the Great Patriotic War in our country. Among the Red Army soldiers buried here is Hero of the Soviet Union Pyotr Vasilyevich Shisterov (1917-1944), who died in battle on June 21, 1944, a few days before the start of Operation Bagration. When the Germans launched an attack, Pyotr Shisterov held them back with machine-gun fire, then fought back with grenades and died in an unequal battle. For his courage and bravery, he, a native of the Kostroma region, was posthumously awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The Republican patriotic project "Memory of the Heart" is aimed at preserving the historical memory of the heroic past of the Soviet people. The project's events will take place in all regions of the country until December 24. At memorial sites, young people will organize requiem rallies with the laying of flowers and the lighting of memorial lamps. Dialogues of generations are also dedicated to the preservation of historical memory.