The regional patriotic event "Breakthrough of Victory" was held in the Ushachi district
A convoy of cars with Belarusian flags drove along the central street of the district center and arrived at the "Breakthrough" memorial complex.
The current event is dedicated to two memorable dates – the 80th anniversary of the breakthrough of the Polotsk-Lepel enemy blockade by partisans and the 50th anniversary of the opening of the memorial at the site of the bloody battle.
In the first days of May 1944, a year before the Great Victory, heavy, bloody battles were fought in the Ushaсhi region, in the area of the villages of Staroye Selo and Paperino. On the night of May 4-5, 16 brigades of the Polotsk-Lepel partisan zone broke out of the encirclement, breaking through the deadly ring of the enemy blockade, whose numbers were three times superior to the partisan forces, and led out 15,000 civilians. Participants of that battle recalled that the river water turned red from blood. The courage of the people conquered death and became immortality.
In the summer of 1974, during the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders, the "Breakthrough" memorial complex was opened on the field stained with the blood of the Fatherland's defenders, as a symbol of the courage and resilience of the partisans during the Great Patriotic War, and the enormous contribution of the Belarusian people, who made countless sacrifices for the sake of Victory.
Today, representatives of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, led by its Chairman Igor Sergeenko, Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Alexander Subbotin, Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies Dmitry Demidov, Presidential Aide - Inspector for the Vitebsk Region Sergey Levkovich, Honorary Citizen of Ushachi Vladimir Андрейченко, deputies, a delegation from the Pskov Region led by Deputy Governor Vera Emelyanova, a delegation from the Smolensk Region led by Deputy Chairman of the Smolensk Regional Duma Nikolay Martynov, representatives of the Vitebsk region, residents of the district, and youth have gathered here.
– It is deeply symbolic that today, on Labor Day, we are holding Days of Partisan Glory dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the breakthrough of the enemy blockade by partisans of the Polotsk-Lepel zone. Thus, here on the Ushachi land, where the blood of our fathers and grandfathers was shed during the Great Patriotic War, we pay tribute to the military and labor feats of the Belarusian people, – emphasized the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Alexander Subbotin at the rally held at the "Breakthrough" memorial complex as part of the regional patriotic campaign "Breakthrough of Victory". – These are our living traditions, and they are the national code of the Fatherland. This is what future generations need, like air.
The head of the region noted that the battle on the Ushachi land lasted 25 days and became one of the three largest partisan battles in world history. The punitive forces failed to destroy the center of popular resistance. The feat of the participants of the partisan operation "Breakthrough" is evidenced by the inscription on the plaque: "There were 17,185 of them against 60,000. The courage of the people won. Death became immortality."
The Polotsk-Lepel zone can be considered a full-fledged partisan republic. 3200 square meters of liberated territory, which included 1220 settlements with a population of 73.5 thousand civilians. Soviet power operated here, power plants, factories, workshops, a printing house, and schools were functioning, and three airfields were operational, through which contact with the mainland was maintained.
– Every year, delegations from all over the region and from neighboring regions of the Russian Federation come to the "Breakthrough" memorial to once again strongly declare: our strength lies in the cohesion and unity of peoples; only in this way can we resist violence and extremism, – said Alexander Subbotin.
The head of the region emphasized that the youth actively participates in all patriotic events. They are carrying on the relay race started by our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, who rebuilt the economy destroyed by wars and upheavals, and performed labor feats. Their example serves as a guide for the current younger generation.
– We thank our veterans for their courage, heroism, and selfless labor, for the fact that today we have the opportunity to live peacefully, work, raise children, and build the future of our native country, – said Alexander Subbotin and wished everyone health, longevity, peace, and kindness.
– The feat of the residents and defenders of the district during the Great Patriotic War was highly appreciated by the Head of State – on June 29, 2009, by Decree of the President of the Republic of Belarus, the urban-type settlement of Ushachi, one of the five settlements in the Vitebsk region, was awarded the honorary award – the Pennant "For Courage and Resilience during the Great Patriotic War". The award is kept in the Museum of National Glory named after the Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Lobanok and leads the solemn procession during the most important state holidays, – noted the Chairman of the Ushachi District Executive Committee, Sergey Sadovsky, at the rally at the "Breakthrough" memorial complex.
In Ushaсhchyna, the memory of the Fatherland's defenders and those who glorified it with peaceful labor is duly honored. Patriotic projects are being implemented, and archival research is being conducted to establish the names of partisans and local soldiers who died or went missing during the Great Patriotic War.
In 2024, the name of Viktor Kletsko, a native of the village of Korovichi, Chashniksky district, a partisan of the "Alexey" brigade, who went missing on May 4, 1944, was immortalized at the "Proryv" memorial complex. His relatives came to honor the memory of the hero.
– I am confident that the "Proryv" memorial complex was, is, and will be a landmark of our region, a kind of bell of memory about the heroic feat of the generation of Victors, a unique school for the education of young citizens of Belarus, – emphasized Sergey Sadovsky.
The celebrations at the memorial began with a theatrical prologue "Lest We Forget...", prepared by the Honored Amateur Collective of the Republic of Belarus, the folk theater "Pilgrim" from Polotsk.
As part of the IX regional patriotic action "Proryv Pobedy" (Breakthrough of Victory), a solemn handover of a "time capsule" with video messages from residents of all regions of Vitebsk Oblast to their descendants took place.
The right to hand over the artifact to the Chairman of the Ushaсhsky District Executive Committee, Sergey Sadovsky, was granted to the First Secretary of the Regional Committee of the BRSM, Zhanna Naritsyna, and the prize-winner of the international youth project "100 Ideas for the CIS", delegate of the VII All-Belarusian People's Assembly, Elizaveta Ivanova.
The "time capsule" will be stored in the Ushaсhsky Museum of People's Glory named after Hero of the Soviet Union V. Lobanok. The video materials will be edited into a single message, which will be shown in 2034 on the day of the celebration of the 90th anniversary of the breakthrough of the enemy blockade by partisans of the Polotsk-Lepel zone in the Ushaсhsky district during the Great Patriotic War.
The region's leadership, delegations from all regions of Vitebsk Oblast, as well as from Pskov and Smolensk Oblasts, and twin cities, took part in the "With Song to Victory" folk event.
Participants of the regional patriotic event "Victory Breakthrough" were able to travel back 80 years and imagine what the battle on the Ushaсhy land was like, when partisan detachments broke through a dense enemy ring. Episodes of the battle were presented by members of the historical and patriotic association "We Will Remember" from Minsk.
And although it was only a performance, the reenactment of the bloody battle of May 1944 could not leave anyone indifferent. For the current peaceful generation, it is a kind of message from our ancestors, who endured the hardships of war and defended the independence of their Motherland. Sometimes at the cost of their lives.
