A sculptural composition in honor of paratroopers was opened in Vitebsk

The ceremony was attended by the Commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus Vadim Denisenko, the leadership of the Vitebsk region and the city, veteran organizations, servicemen of the 103rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade, representatives of public organizations, and guests from Russia. The issue of installing a monument to a paratrooper in Vitebsk was raised again in 2017 by veteran organizations and historians. The idea was supported by the regional leadership.

"The history of the guards paratroopers is the pride of the country and the Vitebsk region. They showed true heroism during the armed conflict at Khalkhin Gol, the Soviet-Finnish War, and the Great Patriotic War, and the soldiers honorably fulfilled their duty while providing international assistance in Afghanistan. The soldiers of the 103rd Brigade are worthy successors to the glorious combat traditions of the Guards Airborne Division," noted the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Nikolai Scherstnev.

He added that the fundraising for the sculptural composition was provided by public and veteran organizations, and its production was carried out without the use of budget funds. The landscaping of the adjacent territory was carried out using money earned at the republican subbotnik.

The height of the bronze sculpture is about 3 m. The figure of the paratrooper is depicted at the moment of gathering the parachute lines after a jump. The initial sketch was refined after comments from the art and expert council on monumental and monumental-decorative art, as well as proposals

the paratroopers themselves. Sculptor Ivan Kazak worked by looking at an equipped paratrooper. A parachute is placed in front of the sculpture, with the VDV emblem in the center, and above it the motto "Nobody but us". On the parachute, to the right of the emblem, is a bas-relief of the Commander of the USSR Airborne Forces, Army General Vasily Margelov (this year marks the 110th anniversary of his birth), and to the left is Vitebsk native, Lieutenant General Ivan Lisov, who was Margelov's right-hand man. In front of the parachute, on a stone, lies a telnyashka (striped undershirt) and a blue beret, rendered in color. Ivan Lisov, on whose memorial day the sculptural composition was opened (he died on October 17, 1997), was the inspiration for the creation of these VDV attributes.

The Commander of the Special Operations Forces of the Armed Forces of Belarus emphasized that for all paratroopers, Vitebsk has always been associated with the 103rd Airborne Division, now a brigade. The opening of the composition confirmed that Vitebsk is the capital of Belarusian paratroopers.

"Today's 103rd Brigade has been the best unit in the Armed Forces of Belarus for the second year. I am confident that its soldiers will worthily honor those whose bas-reliefs are placed on the monument. Vasily Margelov and Ivan Lisov created the principles of VDV deployment, based on which we are developing our special operations forces today, adapting them to modern realities," said Vadim Denisenko.

In the future, it is planned to install a monument dedicated to the 214th Airborne Brigade (stationed in Maryina Gorka) as the first VDV unit in Belarus. The 103rd Guards Airborne Division was stationed in Vitebsk for many years. During the Great Patriotic War, the unit participated in combat operations in the Vienna Offensive. During the Afghan War, servicemen of this unit were the first to enter and the last to leave the theater of military operations. Currently, the 103rd Separate Guards Airborne Brigade is stationed in the regional center.

BELTA.