In the Vitebsk region, the remains of more than 80 soldiers were reburied in a mass grave
From February 3 to March 13, 1944, rifle corps, tank brigades, and self-propelled artillery regiments of the 33rd Army conducted offensive battles on the line of the villages of Perevoz – Shapyry. The objective of the operation was to force the Luchesa River, break through enemy defenses, cut the Vitebsk – Orsha railway, and reach the Western Dvina on the southern outskirts of the city.
The remains were exhumed by servicemen of the 52nd Separate Specialized Battalion of the Armed Forces of Belarus, and searchers from Moscow and Novopolotsk. As Valery Zagrekov, Chairman of the Board of the Moscow Regional Public Organization "Memory and Reconciliation," stated, search operations have been conducted on this bridgehead for the second year. This spring, the expedition lasted ten days. Among the remains, a medallion with a note was found. It is presumed to belong to Red Army soldier Plotnikov, drafted from the Oryol region; a search for his relatives is currently underway. In addition to the fields near Noviki, two sites in the Lioznensky district were investigated, where the remains of 71 soldiers were recovered. The name of one of the heroes, Alexey Vasilyevich Ermilov from the Gorky region (now Nizhny Novgorod region), was identified from the medal "For Military Merit." Currently, searchers are working in the territory of the Zaronsky rural council, Vitebsk district.
Among them is Elena Yerakina, Deputy Chairperson of the Youth Parliament under the State Duma of Russia. This is her second expedition. The ashes of Elena's great-grandfather, Grigory Maksimovich Yerakin, rest at the memorial complex in Shapyry. A native of Mordovia, he died in February 1944, and his family did not know the exact location of his burial until recently. Elena Yerakina says these places have become dear to her.
At the memorial rally, the Chairman of the Vitebsk District Council of Deputies, Viktor Dorozhkin, noted that more than 61,000 Red Army soldiers died during the Great Patriotic War. We must remember and not forget each one. Letters of appreciation were presented to searchers from Moscow, the 52nd Separate Battalion, and the 103rd Mobile Brigade.
According to Petr Gnutenko, Deputy Head of the Main Department of Ideological Work and Youth Affairs of the Regional Executive Committee, there are 1526 military burial sites on the territory of the Vitebsk region, where the remains of 402,000 Red Army soldiers rest. So far, just over half of the names have been identified. The list is updated annually, and the search is ongoing.
The rally participants observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen. A salute was fired during the burial of the remains of the Fatherland's defenders.