A ceremonial event dedicated to the next anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held in Vitebsk

The war ended 76 years ago. The Great Victory determined the future of the planet for decades to come, becoming the most grandiose event in its scale and significance, spiritual and moral heights. In the new chronology, there is no more majestic and recognized feat than the crushing of fascism. To celebrate this holiday, representatives of regional and city authorities, including the Chairman of the Regional Executive Committee Nikolai Sherstnev and the Assistant to the President – Inspector for the Vitebsk Region Anatoly Linevich, veterans, honorary citizens of Vitebsk, representatives of law enforcement agencies and the public, and youth gathered at the Vitebsk Concert Hall.

— Victory is a sacred symbol of loyalty to the homeland, resilience and courage of the Belarusian people, which lives in each of us, — said the head of the City Council of Deputies Vladimir Beleevich. — The disunity of countries in the first half of the 20th century, their mutual suspicions and ideological confrontation did not allow preventing the war. Humanity had to pay an exorbitant price for this – millions of people killed, hundreds of thousands of orphans and broken lives. Therefore, we pass down the memory of those events from generation to generation so as not to allow them to be repeated. In our families, photographs and combat awards are carefully kept, letters from front-line soldiers are cherished and re-read, we remember those who heroically withstood the blow of the aggressor. This is part of our national consciousness.

Over the years of the war, our grandfathers and great-grandfathers endured terrible suffering and were deprived of simple human joys. Belarus suffered more than any other country during the war. The Republic was the first to take the blow of the invader, becoming a living shield for the Motherland. Heroic resistance began from the first days and continued until liberation – Belarusians fought on the fronts, in partisan formations, and in the underground. Among them are many Heroes of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, in this struggle, our state lost every fourth resident, and the Vitebsk region lost every third. Cities were destroyed, thousands of villages were burned, and dozens were burned more than once.

The memory of the fallen was honored by the attendees with a minute of silence.

After the Victory, the Belarusians set about restoring their native land and its national economy. They managed to do this in the shortest possible time. Therefore, today we live in a strong and independent Belarus, which preserves and multiplies the achievements of our ancestors.

"Vitebskiye vesti".