A delegation from the sister city of Gelendzhik visited Vitebsk

As told by Petr Podgursky, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee, our region is linked with Gelendzhik through economic and cultural relations. Cooperation is now also being established in terms of patriotic education. Search teams from the two countries are in constant contact.

The Russian delegation included Tatyana Roy, Head of the Public Chamber of Gelendzhik and Deputy Chairperson of the City Duma, who is also the director of the local bakery. Therefore, it is not surprising that the visit began with a tour of OJSC "Vitebskhlebprom". The guests were introduced to the production process. It turned out that bakers from the two countries have much in common: from the recipes of bakery products to the equipment and baking technologies. Tatyana Gennadievna admitted that it was her first time in our country, and she was pleasantly impressed by the hospitality of Belarusians (before visiting the sister city, the delegation had been to Minsk and Baranovichi).

Then, a solemn event was held at Secondary School No. 8, named after the hero submariner Anatoly Ispenkov. It marked the concluding chord of the patriotic campaign "Great and Small Land," organized by the international movement "Maritime Brotherhood – Indivisible!" and dedicated to the little-known pages of the Soviet people's feat on the Kuban bridgehead during the Great Patriotic War, and to preserving the memory of Belarusians who participated in the battle. Among the honored guests were representatives of the city and district authorities, veterans of the Navy, as well as Anatoly Ispenkov's sister, Zinaida Vinogradova.

Arseniy Kritsky, Head of the movement (pictured), spoke about a blank spot in history when the first naval landing force perished near Gelendzhik. A поклонный крест (votive cross) has been erected at the site of their demise in memory of the heroes. The attendees watched an excerpt from a film about Georgy Kholostyakov, a native of Belarus and Hero of the Soviet Union, Vice-Admiral, who is remembered not only in his homeland but also in Russia. Anatoly Kovalev, Chairman of the regional branch of the Belarusian Union of Navy Men, recalled the feat of Anatoly Ispenkov.

who served in the same unit as his son Viktor. In peacetime, he saved his fellow servicemen on the nuclear submarine "Komsomolets" at the cost of his own life.

By the way, not only the school but also a pioneer squad bears the name of Anatoly Ispenkov. Its leaders solemnly admitted the honorary guests into their ranks and tied red-and-green ties for them.

As a token of the twin-city relationship between the two cities, Tatyana Roy presented Petr Podgursky with the flag of Gelendzhik. For their significant contribution to patriotic education and the preservation of the memory of war heroes, representatives of the Krasnodar Territory awarded commemorative badges to activists of the movement and media representatives.

The outcome of the "Big and Small Land" campaign will be the creation of a public Russian-Belarusian patriotic center named after Georgy Kholostyakov in Gelendzhik, which will work on projects promoting the strengthening of friendship between our countries.

Ales Byньkov. Photo by Anton STEPANISHCHEV. "Vitebskiye Vesti".