The Belarusian Institute Of System Analysis And Informational Support Of Scientific And Technical Sphere

May 9 — Victory Day
Document address: http://www.belisa.org.by/en/year-of-peace-and-creation/c2c232a2ef416bdf.html

05.05.2023

Victory Day is a holiday which unites all citizens of the Republic of Belarus without exception. For Belarusians it is a sacred holiday, a tribute of memory, deep respect and gratitude to Soviet soldiers, home front workers, partisans and underground fighters — to all those who brought the victory closer.

The Belarusians are one of the nations which suffered most as a result of the war. In Belarus the Nazis carried out over 140 punitive operations, during which they completely or partially destroyed 5,454 villages. The village of Khatyn, in which 149 residents were killed and 28 households were burned down, was a tragic symbol of the mass extermination of the civilian population. The fate of Khatyn was shared by 618 villages, 188 of which were not restored.

During the war there were about 250 Soviet prisoner-of-war camps and 350 places of forced detention on the territory of Belarus. Among them was Trostenets death camp, the fourth largest in Europe, where more than 200,000 people were exterminated.

The contribution of the Belarusian people to the Great Victory and to the defeat of Fascism was recognized around the world. The international conference, convened on April 27, 1945 in San Francisco to form the United Nations, decided to include the BSSR among the founding members of that international organization.

In Belarus, the memory of the Great Patriotic War has been preserved throughout the postwar years. For its heroism and courage in the fight against aggressors, the Belarusian capital was one of 12 cities of the former Soviet Union awarded the honorary title of Hero-City. The Brest Fortress has been named a Hero-City. Other Belarusian towns have also been honored with these awards. Numerous obelisks, monuments, memorial complexes and Mounds of Glory testify to the victims of war and the heroic deeds of the people. An important scientific and cultural institution is the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War.

On May 9 and the day before the holiday everywhere the ceremonies of laying flowers and wreaths at the monuments to the heroes of the Great Patriotic War are held, various events to honor the war veterans and workers of the home front are held, holiday concerts, lessons of courage in educational institutions, battle reconstruction, military parades, festive fireworks and much more.

On May 5, 2023, as part of the activities devoted to the celebration of the 78th anniversary of Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, the staff of the GU "BelISA", headed by director Natalia Fedorovna Pavlova, took part in the ceremony of laying flowers at the monument "Bratsk grave" at 9-th kilometer of Moscow highway.

The memory of the terrible war and the Great Victory cannot fade away: it is forever inscribed in the history of the Fatherland and every Belarusian family. The tragedy experienced and the Victory achieved are an eternal source of pain and bitterness, pride and glory of the Belarusian people.