In the Vitebsk region, the remains of 20 servicemen who died during the Great Patriotic War were reburied
The Red Army soldiers were discovered by servicemen of the 52nd Separate Specialized Search Battalion, who were conducting excavations in the vicinity of the villages of Zazyby and Lososino, Oktyabrsky Village Council, in 2020. They were reburied with honors at the Leninsky Komsomol military memorial in Kopti. Representatives of regional and district authorities, law enforcement agencies, and public organizations, as well as youth and local residents, attended the ceremony.
— Not much time is left until the tragic date – the 80th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War. That war claimed over 27 million lives of Soviet people. Not only military personnel but also civilians. There are 1.5 thousand military burials in the Vitebsk region, where over 400 thousand soldiers and officers of the Red Army rest, — said Vladimir Terentyev, Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies. — Unfortunately, despite the fact that decades have passed since then, we must state that not all of the fallen have found their final resting place. I express immense gratitude to the search teams of Belarus and other post-Soviet countries, and the Ministry of Defense, who continue to work to return the names of the fallen from oblivion. Last year, in our region, they exhumed the remains of 447 Red Army soldiers and civilians, and this year – already 131. Thus, on June 22, in the agro-town of Mazolovo, Vitebsk region, a solemn reburial will take place for a soldier whose identity has been established. He was born in the Smolensk region, died in Ukraine, but will be laid to rest in the Vitebsk region, where his relative was found.
— Often, we are unable to establish the names of the deceased. The 20 soldiers we are laying to rest today are also listed as unknown. However, our work is important because it preserves the memory of the past, so that we do not repeat mistakes in the future, — said the commander of the search battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Trubeko. — More than a month ago, we opened the next, 27th search season. Over 800 remains from the war have been discovered.
— We are bidding farewell to heroes who gave their lives to liberate the Motherland from invaders. They had to wait about 80 years for the day they would be buried with military honors, — noted the chairman of the regional veterans' organization, Sergey Olsevich. — It is noteworthy that representatives of many nationalities who lived in the USSR are buried at the memorial in Kopty. This indicates that Victory was achieved through joint efforts. Revisions of its outcomes are unacceptable.
The burial was conducted according to Christian traditions. The memory of the fallen was honored with a minute of silence and gun salutes. Wreaths and flowers were laid at the mass grave. Those present also paid tribute to the Great Patriotic War veteran Viktor Tereshchenko, who recently passed away. He was an active public figure until his last days and did much to ensure that the current generation remembers the exploits of their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.