Vitebsk welcomed the patriotic car rally "Hero Cities – Cities of Heroes"
The crew commander, Hero of Russia, test cosmonaut with Belarusian roots, and Moscow City Duma deputy Oleg Artemyev, reported that the motorcade of three "Moskvich" cars set off from the hero city of Moscow on April 29. Currently, it is heading to the starting point of the "West" route, the Hero Fortress of Brest, then the route will pass through the hero cities of Minsk and Smolensk and will conclude on May 8 in the capital of the Russian Federation.
Hero of the Soviet Union, participant of the Afghan War Nami Akramov and Hero of Russia, participant of counter-terrorism operations in the North Caucasus Rafik Ikhsanov, as well as employees of the Duma apparatus, are also participating in the patriotic event.
In the very heart of Vitebsk, on Victory Square, the guests were welcomed by the Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies Dmitry Demidov, representatives of political parties and public associations, and participants of the "Roads of Memory" motorcycle rally.
- The Great Victory was and remains a symbol of pride, forever inscribed in the heroic chronicle of our peoples, - Dmitry Demidov addressed the participants of the memorial rally. - Together with millions of Soviet people, we defended the sovereignty of our country and made a decisive contribution to the liberation of Europe and the entire planet from the brown plague. The Soviet people united against the threat of physical annihilation and enslavement, showed unprecedented resilience and courage, and were united on the heroic path to Victory.
Oleg Artemyev recalled that the main goal of the motor rally is to revive interest in the collective feat of the residents of hero cities and the historical truth about the events of the Great Patriotic War.
Nami Akramov expressed admiration for how this memory is preserved in the beautiful – ancient and young – Vitebsk. On the main square of the city, the words "The feat of the Soviet people is immortal" shine, and the banner of Victory flies, and the participants of the patriotic event are met by true friends.
Participants laid flowers at the Eternal Flame of the memorial complex dedicated to the Soviet soldiers-liberators, partisans, and underground fighters of the Vitebsk region. The memory of the heroes was honored with a minute of silence.
Ten crews of the "Hero Cities – Cities of Heroes" motor rally will travel along three routes. The "Northern" route is towards Murmansk and St. Petersburg, while the "Southern" route includes Sevastopol, Kerch, Novorossiysk, Volgograd, and Tula. The participants of the motor rally will visit all hero cities located in Belarus and Russia. In each city, they will collect soil from military graves, and on June 21, on the eve of the day the Great Patriotic War began, they will hand it over for safekeeping to the crypt of the Church of All Saints in Minsk.