Vitebsk Commemorates Day of Remembrance of Internationalist Soldiers
February 15, 1989, the day the last units of Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan, is inscribed in the country's history as a day of both joy and sorrow. It is a celebration with tears in their eyes, tears that have not dried in the passing decades.
Every year, on a frosty February day, people gather at the memorial on Voynov-Internatsionalistov Street. The monument's name, "Pain," is highly symbolic. With pain in their hearts, veterans recall their experiences; strong men who endured terrible trials struggle to hold back a lump in their throats.
– For us, the Afghan War is both pride and pain. Pride in having honorably fulfilled our duty and done our male work with dignity, which is recognized by state awards. Two natives of Vitebsk region, Vasily Shcherbakov and Vasily Pimenov, were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And pain for the loss of friends. 160 of our countrymen died in Afghanistan, and about 1.5 thousand people who returned home have passed away due to the consequences of the war. Today, we bow our heads to the mothers and widows, – noted the chairman of the regional organization of the Belarusian Union of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan, retired Lieutenant Colonel Valerian Matskevich.