A lamp lit from the Eternal Flame has been installed at the graves of soldiers buried on Uspenskaya Hill in Vitebsk

A torch lit from the Eternal Flame on Victory Square in Vitebsk was passed along a human chain and installed to the sound of church bells at the graves of soldiers buried on Uspenskaya Hill.

This memorial complex on the steep bank of the Western Dvina River, near the monument to the defenders of the Fatherland in the War of 1812, is one of the historical and cultural heritage sites of the Vitebsk region. Here lie 16 officers, three of whom are Heroes of the Soviet Union: Ivan Sivakov, Ivan Yanushkovsky, and the legendary Minay Shmyrev – one of the organizers of the partisan movement, commander of a partisan detachment and the 1st Belarusian Partisan Brigade, and an honorary resident of Vitebsk.

The first burials in the square took place at the end of June 1944, immediately after the liberation of the city. In 1956, two sculptures of soldiers with bowed banners were erected. The memorial was restored in 2005 for the 60th anniversary of the Great Victory.

The rally, which began with a minute of silence, was attended by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Nikolai Sherstnev, Presidential Aide – Inspector for the Vitebsk Region Anatoly Linevich, Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies Vladimir Terentyev, heads of the city and district administrations, representatives of labor collectives and the public.

– Today we remember those who first bore the brunt of the enemy's troops – the border guards, the defenders of the Brest Fortress, and our regional center. The Vitebsk region was occupied only by mid-September, with battles lasting almost a month and a half. Is that a long time or a short time? For comparison, Luxembourg fell in one day, the Kingdom of the Netherlands in six, Belgium in eight, Yugoslavia in twelve, Greece in 24, and Poland in 36. This day is not only for remembrance and sorrow, but also for pride in those who defended our country, who fought for its independence. We are still uncovering unknown pages about that terrible war, finding and bringing back the names of heroes from oblivion. We must be worthy of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, and pass on their memory to our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, so that we may always live under a peaceful sky in an independent country, – Vladimir Terentyev addressed the attendees.

Retired Lieutenant Colonel, representative of the Belarusian Union of Officers and the Vitebsk City Organization "Bratstvo" of the Belarusian Union of War Veterans in Afghanistan Ivan Burlak, as well as the Deputy Commander for Ideological Work of the 357th Guards Parachute Regiment, Andrey Balanescu, spoke at the rally about following the example of the Fatherland defenders, selfless service to the Motherland, and the importance of patriotic education.

Wreaths and flowers were laid at the soldiers' graves, and clergy performed a litany for the deceased, which concluded with the words: "Eternal memory!".

Photo by Petr CHIMKOVSKY\ text by Tatyana PATERNAK, "Vitebskiye Vesti"