Vitebsk to celebrate February 23 with an open-air program featuring military personnel

An open-air celebration with the participation of military personnel, athletes, and cadets will be held in Vitebsk on Defender of the Fatherland Day, as reported by the Vitebsk City Executive Committee. A large military-patriotic cultural and sports program will start on Victory Square with the laying of flowers and wreaths at the monument to the liberator soldiers and will then involve citizens and guests in mass events for three hours.

"For the first time, the celebration, which usually took place behind the gates of the 103rd mobile brigade on February 23, is organized on a city-wide scale. Battalions will march in a solemn procession, the honor guard company will perform with an orchestra, a field kitchen with soldier's porridge will be set up, and, of course, an exhibition of military equipment and weapons, where everyone can touch, photograph, and even practice assembling and disassembling a Kalashnikov rifle," the City Executive Committee explained. Spectators can expect demonstration performances by the military: in hand-to-hand combat techniques, hostage rescue, and, if the weather permits, parachute jumps from an airplane directly onto the square. Young defenders of the Fatherland – students of the Vitebsk Cadet School – have also prepared a surprise. Athletes from the city will also demonstrate their physical fitness and talent. Meanwhile, artists from creative groups will entertain the public on the stage of Victory Square. The best officers will also be awarded certificates and commendations from the regional and city executive committees and the brigade command. It is expected that over a thousand people will take part in the program: military personnel, athletes, cadets, students from schools, gymnasiums, and the Vitebsk State College of the Olympic Reserve. In addition, on this day, a memorial plaque to the submariner, captain of the 1st rank, Hero of the Soviet Union Samuil Bograd will be solemnly unveiled, and a ceremonial meeting and a festive concert will be held in the "Vitebsk" concert hall.

Ekaterina Knyazeva,  BELTA.

Photo by Anton Stepanishchev. "Vitebskiye vesti".