On the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Khatyn Tragedy, requiem rallies are held in the Vitebsk region
Vitebsk region joined the national laying of flowers and the all-Republican minute of silence in memory of the victims of the Khatyn tragedy.
On March 22, 1943, punitive forces burned alive or shot 149 residents (including 75 children) of the village of Khatyn, which became a symbol of memory and grief for all generations of Belarusians.
More than 180 large-scale punitive operations were carried out in Belarus. The number of genocide victims exceeds 3 million people.
VITEBSK
In Vitebsk, flowers were laid at the memorial sign at the site of the execution of Soviet patriots during the Great Patriotic War. From the first days of the occupation, a gallows was erected near the building of the regional museum of local lore, where public executions were held. A memorial sign was erected at this site in 1967.
According to Yuri Shibalov, Deputy Prosecutor of the city of Vitebsk, a criminal case on the genocide of the Belarusian people is currently ongoing. During the investigation in the Vitebsk region, at least 166 previously unknown sites (at least 49 in Vitebsk) were identified where Nazis exterminated and buried Belarusian citizens.
The participants of the event took part in a motor rally. The final point of the route was the memorial sign at the site of the former village of Lyshnevo in the Vitebsk district. It was located 3 km from the agro-town of Tarasenko, Zapolsky village council; before the war, 185 people lived there. During a punitive operation in June 1942, Hitler's forces killed 144 residents and burned the village (40 homesteads). It was not revived after the war.
In memory of the victims of fascism, a memorial sign was erected in 1988 at the site of the burned village. Lychnevo is immortalized in the Khatyn memorial complex.
NOVOPOLOTSK
A requiem rally dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Khatyn Tragedy was held in the Borovukha microdistrict of Novopolotsk at the "Zvezda" memorial complex.
The event was attended by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies Dmitry Demidov, the leadership of the Novopolotsk City Executive Committee, deputies, representatives of labor collectives, public associations, veterans, and youth.
– Khatyn is not only a symbol of eternal memory and unceasing pain, but also a lesson in courage. In the struggle for their freedom and independence throughout the entire occupation period, our people bravely defended their right to life. And we must remember these terrible lessons and pass this memory on to our children, – noted Dmitry Demidov.
At the end of the rally, scarlet carnations were laid at the memorial as a symbol of memory and grief for those whose lives were cut short by the Great Patriotic War.
POLOTSK DISTRICT
Near the village of Gornopolye, Polotsk district, where 139 civilians were shot by the Nazis, a requiem rally was held dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Khatyn and burned villages.
The Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee Vyacheslav Durnov, the Chairman of the Polotsk District Executive Committee Vasily Shilov, representatives of the prosecutor's office, labor collectives, public associations, villagers, and youth gathered to honor the memory of the innocent victims whose fates were ruthlessly cut short during the Great Patriotic War.
– Preserving the memory of Khatyn, of burned villages, of every fallen person is our sacred duty. The Khatyn tragedy is a lesson about what hatred leads to, what the ideology of superiority leads to, what indifference to human life leads to. Today, when the world faces challenges, when calls for violence and aggression are heard again, it is especially important to remember the lessons of history, – Vyacheslav Durnov addressed the attendees.
The attendees honored with a minute of silence those whose lives were cut short on May 29, 1944, in a forest clearing, and laid flowers at the mass grave.
HORADOK DISTRICT
Hundreds of wreaths and flowers at the memorial, guests from Vitebsk and other districts. A requiem rally dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Khatyn Tragedy was held in Horadok.
The event took place at the "Pantheon of Memory" memorial complex in Vorobyovy Gory. It was attended by the chairpersons of the district executive committee Irina Polyakova and the district Council of Deputies Svetlana Zueva, the chairman of the regional committee for natural resources and environmental protection Roman Koltsa, a member of the council of the regional organization of the public association "Patriots of Belarus" and the republican council of medical workers of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Belarus Andrey Nikonov, representatives of the deputy corps of Horadok region, enterprises and organizations, public associations, and youth.
– March 22 is a day of special grief, when time seems to stand still, giving way to silence, in which only the beating of hearts that cherish memory can be heard, – noted Irina Polyakova. – On this day, we bow our heads to the bright memory of hundreds of thousands of innocent victims whose lives were cut short by the Great Patriotic War. Khatyn became a symbol of the pain of all of Belarus.
The tragedy resonates with particular pain in the hearts of the residents of Horadok region. Over 300 of its villages suffered in the flames of war, 13 of them shared the terrible fate of Khatyn. The Nazis destroyed several thousand people.
— During punitive operations, our compatriots had to experience unbearable suffering, go through hell, which the occupiers created on the land of Gorodok, — emphasized the head of the district. — One of the bloodiest pages in the district's chronicle was the autumn of 1942. During the punitive operation "Monkey Cage," the Hitlerites literally devastated the Kholmer region. In five days, they killed over 1.2 thousand civilians and turned 58 villages into ashes.
On the Day of Remembrance of the Khatyn Tragedy, Belarusians mourn all those who did not return from that war, including the innocent victims of Nazism. They all fought for the freedom of their native land.
— We are with you in one of the sacred places of our district — here, during the Great Patriotic War, over 2 thousand civilians were destroyed. The invaders shot entire families, sparing neither the elderly, women, nor children, and cruelly dealt with people from 26 villages located in the district, — assured Irina Polyakova. — Time should not erase the details of history, but preserve them for eternity. Therefore, a memorial was erected at the site of mass executions of people, which will preserve the truth about the atrocities of the Hitlerites for future generations.
The duty of those living now is to carefully preserve the memory of the terrible events of the past and not to let disaster strike our Motherland again.
— What happened then emphasizes how fragile and important peace is for all of us, and at what a terrible price Belarus gained freedom and independence, — said the head of the district. — We must remember those who gave us a peaceful sky over our heads, risking their lives in battles, in the underground, or in partisan detachments. This is not just a tradition, but a sacred duty of the living to the fallen.
VERKHEDVINSK DISTRICT
A rally to commemorate the victims of the Khatyn tragedy and the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War is being held at the "Wall of Memory" Memorial in the village of Yanino, Verkhnedvinsk district.
During the war, every second resident of the Verkhnedvinsk district perished, and over 430 villages were burned down, many of them with their inhabitants.
Irina Kozel, Chairperson of the Verkhnedvinsk District Council of Deputies, recalled the atrocities committed by the Nazis against the civilian population of the region during the war, and urged to preserve memory and protect peace.
Flowers were laid at the Memorial to the victims of the war in the Verkhnedvinsk district.
LEPEL DISTRICT
Commemorative events and public flower-laying ceremonies are being held in the Lepel region at memorials and monuments in settlements that shared the fate of Khatyn. Thus, dozens of Lepel residents met today in the village of Slobodka, Staysky village council, where the mass grave of victims of fascism is located on the site of the village destroyed by the Hitlerites.
Before the war, the village of Slobodka had 28 houses and 139 residents. Destroyed by the Nazis - 28 houses and 127 residents.
The memorial site gathered representatives of the district authorities, law enforcement agencies, the prosecutor's office, public associations and organizations, students, youth, work collectives, and other concerned citizens...
Viktor Azaryonok, Deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus:
- The terrible events of the Great Patriotic War must not be forgotten, no matter how much time has passed. We must not only preserve the memory of the victims but also identify all those who were guilty of the destruction of the civilian population of our country...
Igor Urban, Chairman of the Lepel District Council of Deputies:
- We want monuments and memorials to be visited by adults together with children, conveying historical truth to the future generation, thereby fostering a sense of responsibility in young Belarusians for preserving the peace won by their grandfathers and great-grandfathers.
Deputy Prosecutor of Lepel District Alexander Filimonov:
- The fiery whirlwind of war did not bypass our district either. The Day of Remembrance of Burned Villages reminds us of the bravery, resilience, and unity of the people. We honor their sacrifices and must cherish peace and freedom so that tragedies of such magnitude never happen again.
Residents of Lepel honored the memory of the victims of the tragedy in Khatyn and the victims of the genocide of the Belarusian people with a minute of silence. Those gathered laid flowers at the monument.
GLUBOKOYE DISTRICT
"To know your history is to have a future. To remember, so that the tragedy of war never repeats itself." These words of Vera Telitsa, Chairperson of the Glubokoye District Council of Deputies, became the leitmotif of the requiem rally in the "Lavrinovka" tract.
In her address to the attendees, Vera Mikhailovna emphasized the importance of cherishing the peace won at the cost of millions of lives, and how the peace-loving policy of our state is a guarantee of stability and security.
Valery Dailidenok, Prosecutor of Glubokoye District, recalled the grim statistics of the region: 138 villages of Glubokoye were burned down, and 11,807 civilians were killed and tortured during punitive operations.
"Our task is to protect our fragile peace," he concluded.
The speech by Artyom Skorokhodov, a student of Secondary School No. 1 named after P. O. Sukhoi, at the rally was very touching and powerful.
As a participant of the "Memory Train-2023" project, Artyom spoke on behalf of the entire younger generation. He emphasized the importance of not just knowing history from textbooks, but feeling it, experiencing it personally.
"We make a promise: we will not allow the truth about the war to be forgotten. We will do everything to ensure that peace on our land remains inviolable," Artyom pledged.
It is in this continuity of generations, in the burning eyes of young people like Artyom, that the guarantee lies that the memory of the ancestors' feat and the terrible price of Victory will live forever.
DOKSHITSKY DISTRICT
A memorial rally dedicated to the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Khatyn Tragedy was held at the "Adamenkaya Gorka" memorial complex, near the monument to the victims who died during the Great Patriotic War, with the participation of students from the urban settlement of Liozno.
Exactly at 12:00, the rally participants honored the memory of the victims of the Khatyn tragedy and the victims of the genocide of the Belarusian people with a minute of silence.
MIORY DISTRICT
A minute of silence was observed to honor the memory of the victims of the Khatyn tragedy in the Miory district.
The district leadership, representatives of labor collectives, and youth laid flowers at the memorial sign in honor of the soldiers who liberated Miory from the Nazi invaders.
DOKSHITSY DISTRICT
The youth of Dokshitsy honored the memory of the victims of the Khatyn tragedy and the victims of the genocide of the Belarusian people with a minute of silence.
A rally with the participation of members of the district organization of the BRSM was held in the district center at the братская могила (fraternal grave) of fallen soldiers and partisans on the square named after Hero of the Soviet Union I.S. Polevoy.
Events dedicated to the memory of the victims of the tragedy in Khatyn were held in the village councils of the Dokshitsy district.
Flowers were laid at the foot of monuments and obelisks in memory of all settlements of Belarus that were burned down during the Great Patriotic War.
BRASLAV DISTRICT
The villages of Repovshchina and Stayki in the Braslav district shared the fate of Khatyn. Employees of the Zamoshye forestry, following tradition, lay flowers annually, honoring the memory of civilians, their fellow countrymen, who died during the war.