The feat of the people will live for centuries. On the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War

15.04.2025

Eight decades ago, the brilliant Victory of the multinational Soviet people was achieved in the Great Patriotic War, the bloodiest in the history of mankind, which left a bloody mark on our land and in the memory of every Belarusian.

This was, perhaps, the first war where the question was extremely acute: will we, Belarusians (and Russians, and Ukrainians), continue to exist on this land at all? That is why for us it is not the Second World War, with the help of which the then masters of the world once again divided the planet into new spheres of influence, but the Great Patriotic War: a war for our future, for our children, for our land.

The Nazis' plans were sinister. The General Plan "Ost" — a plan for the colonization and Germanization of the occupied lands of Eastern Europe — established the so-called "new order" in the captured territories. It was aimed at the physical destruction of both the population and the state system. The essence of the Nazi policy in the temporarily occupied territory of the USSR, including Belarus, was genocide and "scorched earth" — a policy of mass bloody terror. We will cite only a few, perhaps still unknown, facts.

According to the latest data from the Prosecutor General's Office, more than 578 death camps were organized by the fascist punitive forces on the territory of Belarus. It has been proven that at least 187 major punitive operations were carried out on our territory. This is approximately once a week, or even more often. The destruction of at least 12,348 of our villages and towns has been confirmed. According to the latest data, 288 villages became "Khatyn's sisters" — completely burned down along with their inhabitants and not revived after the war.

Another form of genocide was the deportation of civilians to forced labor in Germany and other Western European countries. During the war, more than 380,000 people were deported from the territory of the BSSR, many of whom died from unbearable conditions of exploitation. The deportation of children to forced labor was also widespread.

Currently, 166 previously unknown sites of extermination and burial of civilians and prisoners of war have been identified in Belarus, more than half of which are mass.

The victory of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War is the result of the combined efforts of all the fraternal peoples of the great power. Representatives of more than 70 nationalities took part shoulder to shoulder in the battles for Belarus alone. The title Hero of the Soviet Union for the liberation of the republic was awarded to almost 1,700 Soviet soldiers, including 39 Belarusians.

The Belarusian people made a worthy contribution to the Great Victory. 1.3 million Belarusians and natives of Belarus fought in the active Red Army alone. During the Great Patriotic War, 23 of our fellow countrymen commanded armies, more than 400 Belarusians and natives of Belarus were generals and admirals.

In Belarus alone, during the initial period of the war, the Nazis lost more Wehrmacht soldiers and officers than in all previous campaigns since 1939.

Belarusian partisans made a significant contribution to the fight against the occupiers on the territory of the republic. It was in Belarus that the first partisan battle of the Great Patriotic War took place.

An important role in bringing the overall victory over the enemy closer was also played by Belarusian home front workers evacuated to the east. In short, the military and labor heroism of the Soviet people was and is the moral core that allows us, the descendants of our ancestors, to stand proudly and with dignity.

Despite all the power of the German "war machine", the terror and mass murder, the Soviet people never for a moment lost faith in Victory, did not give up and did not submit.

The criminal case initiated in April 2021 by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Belarus on the fact of genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period is a tribute to the memory of the victims and also contributes to the establishment and preservation of historical justice.

The updated Constitution of the Republic of Belarus includes provisions aimed at preserving the historical truth and memory of the Great Patriotic War and the mass heroism of the people (Article 15). This constitutional norm is aimed against any attempts, under the guise of scientific or other discussions, to revise the events of the war and emasculate the immortal feat of the Soviet people.

The priority direction of the state policy of Belarus is constant care for veterans. Given their special status, veterans of the Great Patriotic War receive special payments to their pensions (increase, age supplement, care allowance), free social services, and are provided state social benefits in various areas (healthcare, housing, etc.).

Particular attention in Belarus is paid to numerous obelisks, memorial complexes, mass graves and military burials, activities to improve them and maintain proper order. The younger generation makes a significant contribution to this noble cause.

Work is underway to find and perpetuate the memory of soldiers who died in battles for the Motherland. By bringing the names of heroes back from oblivion, we give relatives the opportunity to learn about the fate of their loved ones, opening new pages of the heroic chronicle. A unique project has been created in Belarus — "Partisans of Belarus" (https://partizany.by) , where you can find award sheets of your loved ones, combat routes of partisan detachments and formations, and trace the fates of relatives.

The work to perpetuate the memory of the defenders of the Motherland is an expression of gratitude and the fulfillment of the sacred duty of the Belarusian people to their ancestors who sacrificed their lives for our freedom.

A significant factor in preserving historical memory in our country is the education of the younger generation in the spirit of morality and patriotism. Military-patriotic clubs have become an effective and successful form of work with students.

For this purpose, a complex of diverse events is being implemented in Belarus: the republican heroic-patriotic action "Great Victory — 80!", the All-Belarusian youth expedition "Routes of Memory. Routes of Unity", the republican project "Belarus: before and after", the republican family marathon "Family of the Winner", "Memory Watch", the republican multi-stage patriotic project "Flowers of the Great Victory" and dozens of other patriotic events.

An integral part of the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory should be a military parade in the capital of our country. In 2025, the parade will consist of two parts: historical and modern. The first part will include retro equipment, as well as historical parade units in uniform and with weapons of the war years. In fact, the historical part will be built on individual elements of the 1945 Victory Parade in Moscow. During the parade in Minsk, the legendary T-34 tanks and the famous tachankas with machine guns will pass. The second part will present the equipment and weapons of the Armed Forces of Belarus (from armored vehicles to various types of communications equipment, electronic warfare).

It is gratifying that Belarus and Russia have a unified position on issues of preserving historical memory. Our scientists work together on common teaching aids and programs, issues of preserving and restoring monuments. In addition, over the past few years, large-scale projects of the Union State have been implemented, including major repairs, restoration and museumification of the Brest Fortress structures in the "Brest Hero Fortress Memorial Complex" and the creation of the Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier in the Tver Region of the Russian Federation.

The unique Belarusian-Russian patriotic cultural and educational project "Train of Memory", uniting the youth of the CIS countries, is aimed at forming a respectful attitude towards the historical memory of fraternal peoples, familiarization with the history and places of military glory, culture and traditions of neighboring states.

The memory of the Great Patriotic War is sacred. Preserving the historical truth about it is a conscious and principled choice of everyone who is proud of the heroic deeds of Soviet soldiers and strives to preserve the peace won by our grandfathers and great-grandfathers.

There are events whose significance does not fade with the inexorable passage of time. Such events include the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. No matter how many decades pass, the memory of the heroic deeds of the valiant victors and gratitude for the freedom won will forever remain in our hearts.

Source: minsk.gov.by