Vitebsk celebrated the 79th anniversary of its liberation from Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War
On the morning of June 26, a solemn ceremony of laying wreaths and flowers at the memorial complex in honor of the liberator soldiers, partisans, and underground fighters of Vitebsk region took place on Victory Square.
This memorable date is infinitely dear to all Vitebsk residents. New generations are coming, who carefully preserve the memory of the past, of the defenders of the Motherland, thanks to whom we rejoice in life today.
On one of the first days of the largest military operation in the history of mankind – the Bagration operation in Belarus – Vitebsk gained freedom from fascist slavery. On the morning of June 26, 1944, soldiers of the 158th Rifle Division of the 39th Army, with the assistance of fighters of the 145th Rifle Division of the 43rd Army, completely cleared the city of the enemy. Ahead of our Vitebsk, completely destroyed by the war, when it might have seemed to some that there would be no more life on the ruins and ashes, a new life awaited – an era of rebirth from the ashes, an era of creation and prosperity.
Representatives of the regional and city authorities, district administrations, law enforcement agencies, public organizations, labor collectives, students, and soldiers of the Vitebsk garrison took part in the wreath-laying ceremony.
Speaking about the significance of this memorable date, the chairman of the city executive committee, Nikolai Orlov, noted the beauty of modern Vitebsk. Our guests admire it. Like, for example, one of the participants in the wreath-laying ceremony, Petr Leontiev, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War from the Russian city of Elista. They admire not only the beauty but also how Vitebsk residents cherish the memory of the heroic past of our people.
Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by