Events dedicated to the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the region from the Nazi invaders were held in Liozno

In the Liozno district, a solemn opening of a memorial plaque to the first female tank driver, Hero of the Soviet Union – Maria Oktyabrskaya, the reburial of the remains of Soviet soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War, and a number of other events dedicated to the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the Liozno district from the Nazi invaders took place.

On October 10, 1943, troops of the 3rd Belorussian Front, having defeated an elite group of Hitlerites, liberated the first district center of the Vitebsk region – the urban settlement of Liozno. On the eve of the memorable date, events were held in the Liozno district that recalled the events of the Great Patriotic War and the heroes who gave their lives for our freedom.

One of the significant events was the solemn naming of the secondary school No. 1 in Liozno after the Hero of the Soviet Union Maria Oktyabrskaya, as well as the opening of a memorial plaque to Maria Oktyabrskaya on the building of this educational institution.

– Today, secondary school No. 1 of the urban settlement of Liozno has become the 55th school to be named after a Hero of the Soviet Union in the last two years. And these are not just numbers, but an indicator that we do not forget the exploits of heroes and honor the memory of those who, at the cost of their lives, liberated Belarus from the Nazi invaders and allowed us to raise children and live in a peaceful country, – noted the Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies Vladimir Terentyev.

– It was from the Liozno district on October 10, 1943, that the liberation of the entire Vitebsk region from the Nazi invaders began. The front line stood here for nine months, and more than 32,000 Soviet soldiers perished. Today, there are over 90 memorials and military burial sites in the district; we remember all the soldiers and veterans of the Great Patriotic War who gave their lives for the freedom and independence of our country, – said Ivan Fyodorov, Chairman of the Liozno District Executive Committee.

No less significant event was the solemn reburial of the remains of Soviet soldiers who died during the Great Patriotic War while liberating the Liozno district, at the "Adamenka Hill" memorial complex. The ceremony was attended by representatives of regional and local authorities, a military unit, public organizations, search teams, residents of Liozno region, as well as relatives of the fallen and guests from Russia.

The remains of 190 servicemen of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, who died in 1943-1944, were discovered in the village of Alkhovik, Liozno district, during fieldwork conducted by servicemen of the 52nd Separate Specialized Search Battalion and members of the local military-patriotic foundation "Warriors of Military Glory" search team, at the site of a field mobile hospital that operated during the war.

– This year alone, in the Vitebsk region, thanks to the efforts of the 52nd Separate Specialized Search Battalion, we have recovered 461 soldiers and commanders of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army and reburied 481 people, – noted Vladimir Terentyev. – Today we have reburied 190 soldiers and officers who died from their wounds in the hospital in the village of Alkhovik. Now they will rest next to their comrades who fought for the liberation of the district. Here lie 818 soldiers and officers, unfortunately, most of them are young. Every fourth person is between 18 and 20 years old, and it is very important to tell the youth about this, as they are practically their peers. These young men could have lived and started families, but they died liberating our Motherland, so it is our duty to continue search operations and honor the memory of the fallen.

"Vitebskiye Vesti".