The 'Candle of Memory' was carried through the streets of Vitebsk
The "Margelovites" solemnly carried the symbolic fire through Kalinin, Zamkovaya, Pushkin, and Suvorov streets to the military burial site on Uspenskaya Hill. A rally and a ceremony of laying wreaths and flowers were held here, attended by representatives of the local authorities, deputies, war and Armed Forces veterans, clergy, and youth. This event is a tribute of respect and remembrance to those who gave their lives for freedom.
Olga Ivanova, Chairperson of the Vitebsk City Council of Deputies, recalled the tragic events of June 22, 1941, when Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union without a declaration of war. The deputy emphasized that Belarus became the arena of major battles, and the heroic resistance of the Soviet people began at the Brest Fortress and gained strength in the powerful partisan movement.
"On the day of this treacherous invasion, People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyacheslav Molotov concluded his radio address to the people with the words: 'Our cause is just. The enemy will be defeated. Victory will be ours.' And the enemy was indeed defeated. But this happened after 1418 days and nights filled with trials, hunger, cold, tears, pain, fear, and grief," said Olga Ivanova. "The Nazis chose the policy of genocide and mass bloody terror as the main means of imposing their order."
260 death camps, 70 ghettos. In Trostenets alone, 206.5 thousand civilians were killed. In the "5th Regiment" camp in Vitebsk, over 80 thousand Soviet citizens perished. The Nazis destroyed 12868 Belarusian villages and settlements, including 3086 in the Vitebsk region.
– Today, more than on any other day of the year, each of us feels the stern gaze of those who went to the front with weapons in hand to fight the enemy. Those who were tortured in death camps, who died from wounds and hunger, who fought behind enemy lines, those who shared the last crumb of bread with the children of besieged Leningrad. Those who literally pulled soldiers back from the brink of death in front-line camps, who forged Victory at the machine tool, who performed for the soldiers with concerts a few hundred meters from enemy positions, – emphasized Olga Ivanova. – We who live today cherish the memory of those who died in that terrible war and remember that each of us carries a piece of their unlived lives.
The Chairman of the regional organization of the public association "Belarusian Union of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan," retired Lieutenant Colonel Valeryan Matskevich, emphasized the importance of remembering the past and the need to prevent new conflicts.
– The Soviet people found the strength to defeat Nazi Germany and build a decent life in difficult conditions. Today, unfortunately, neo-Nazis are raising their heads again, having forgotten the lessons of the Great Patriotic War. We are on the brink of World War III, and this causes deep concern. I want to emphasize that our country, under the leadership of the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, is taking all necessary measures to prevent conflicts. We, representatives of the modern generation, value the life we have. Therefore, we must do everything possible to preserve peace, – said Valeryan Matskevich.
