The remains of about 500 soldiers from World War II have been reburied in the Smolensk region. Among them are natives of the Vitebsk region.

In Yartsevo, Smolensk Oblast (Russia), the reburial of the remains of servicemen who died during the Great Patriotic War took place.

About five hundred soldiers and officers were buried at the "Field of Memory," who in 1941 blocked the path of the Nazi invaders to Moscow.

— The losses were enormous, — specified Andrey Serkov, commander of the "Bezymyanny" search team. — That is why every year we go on excavations to pay the last respects to the defenders of the Fatherland who went missing.

Unfortunately, the identities of most of the found soldiers cannot be established. And yet, sometimes searchers discover well-preserved medallions and personal belongings. This summer, it was possible to return over two dozen names from oblivion, including two residents of the Vitebsk region.

The Russians handed over information about the Belarusians to the regional military commissariat, and specialists managed to find relatives of one of them, Vasily Prishchepov. In addition, representatives of the military commissariat and the Pridvinskoye branch of the "Union of Officers" organized a trip for Vasily Pavlovich's granddaughter to the reburial site.

— I am very glad that I was able to come to Yartsevo and see my grandfather off on his final journey, — said Elena Prishchepova. — My father did not live to see this event, but we, his three daughters, now know that our relative died a brave death and we will visit him.

Medallions, documents, and soil from the place where the remains were found were handed over to the relatives of the deceased on Victory Square in Yartsevo, where a mourning rally was held, and a funeral service and burial of the remains took place at the military memorial. The event concluded with a memorial lunch.

Eduard Korolevich, "Vitebskiye vesti". Photos by the author.