A large-scale restoration of the Rylinki memorial complex is nearing completion in the Dubrovno district.
Approximately 1.5 million rubles have been invested in the restoration of the memorial complex. This includes budget funds, money earned from subbotniks (volunteer workdays), and donations. The regional organization "Belaya Rus" made a significant contribution.
– This is a sacred place, and we had to restore it. A colossal amount of work has been done over two years. The complex has been completely transformed. New memorial plaques, an entrance arch with reliefs of soldiers, and improved pathways, lighting, and video surveillance have been added. But most importantly, the lists of names of those who died during the liberation of the Dubrovno region have been supplemented, – noted Vladimir Terentyev.
The four steles located along the road, dedicated to the heroic deeds performed in this district, have also been updated. These include Hero of the Soviet Union Yuri Smirnov, who was crucified by the Nazis on the wall of a dugout; Alexander Vasiliev, who covered an enemy pillbox embrasure with his body; Hero of the Soviet Union Anna Nikandrova, who led soldiers in an attack; and Sergey Astakhov and Bruno de Faltan, pilots of the "Normandy – Niemen" regiment who died in the same aircraft.
Representatives of various nationalities gave their lives for the liberation of the Dubrovno region. Every year, relatives of the Tatars, Russians, Ukrainians, and other nationalities honored here visit the memorial. French citizens have also come to pay homage to their compatriots. "Rylionki" houses the only monument to a medical battalion in Belarus.
– All residents of the district responded to the call to contribute to the renovation of the memorial complex. Representatives of work collectives, organizations, and schoolchildren actively worked at the community clean-up events, with several people coming here every day to help the specialists. You should see how diligently the children worked, whom we have repeatedly summoned to the juvenile inspection meetings! – says Svetlana Ryzhanskaya, Deputy Chairperson of the Dubrovno District Executive Committee.
This Victory Day, many who would like to honor the memory of the fallen will not be able to visit the "Rylenki" memorial complex due to the current epidemiological situation. But it is important that this sacred place exists, and people will constantly come here to bow their heads to the soldiers who defended humanity from the brown plague of fascism.
The "Rylenki" memorial complex was erected in 1973 at the Rylenki mass grave – the burial place of over 10,000 Soviet soldiers of the 11th Guards and 31st Armies, who remained forever on the site of their last battle. From October 1943 to June 1944, the front line passed through these areas. The "Bagration" operation began here, during which Belarus was liberated from the Nazi invaders. Historians and local lore experts have managed to restore almost 9.5 thousand names; in recent years, the memorial list has been supplemented with 2461 surnames. Another 17 were recently brought back from oblivion and will be inscribed on the marble slabs. Space has also been left for the yet nameless heroes.
Vladimir Terentyev also visited another memorial in the Dubrovno district, where restoration work is nearing completion. Like "Rylenki," it is located on the busy M-1 highway, which is part of the European route and carries transit traffic from Russia to the West. Here, in the settlement of Buda, over 4,000 soldiers are buried. Until recently, 3,800 names were known; now, 4,330 have been identified. It is symbolic that Dubrovno enterprises, the Belarusian Peace Fund, and a Russian gas company made a significant contribution to the restoration of this memorial site. Schoolchildren from the local school, on whose territory the monument stands, maintain a unique logbook for relatives visiting the mass grave of soldiers. The reopening of the memorial in Buda after reconstruction will also take place on Victory Day.
