To the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War
For our people, war is not just history, but enduring human pain, memory of the past, of the greatest human sacrifices and material losses.
It was the most terrible and bloody war of all that ever rolled like a barrage of fire across our land. On the battlefields, the fate of not only Europe, but also of all mankind was decided. Fascism was defeated thanks to the efforts of the states of the anti-Hitler coalition and the resistance forces in the occupied territories.
The most active part in repelling the aggression was taken by Belarus, which during the years of occupation was rightfully called the “republic-partisan”.
1 million 300 thousand Belarusians and natives of the republic fought on the fronts of the Great Patriotic War. They participated in the battles of Brest, Moscow, Stalingrad, Kursk, in the liberation of the Caucasus, Ukraine, the Baltic republics, and other countries, were among those who gave their lives in the capture of Berlin. Many Belarusians took part in the European Resistance movement, joining partisan detachments, underground anti-fascist organizations of patriots of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, France and other countries. About 400 natives of Belarus, becoming generals and admirals, commanded army and navy units during the war. The legendary pages of border battles, the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress, the defense of Mogilev, the inflexibility of the Belarusian partisans and underground fighters, stubborn bloody battles in the Minsk region, the strategic operation "Bagration" are inscribed in golden letters in history. Over 500 of our fellow countrymen have been awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
During the war, every third inhabitant of the republic died, the Nazis destroyed 209 cities, 9200 villages, 100465 industrial enterprises, 477 power plants, 611 railway stations.
The contribution of the Belarusian people to the Great Victory, to the defeat of fascism was recognized all over the world. An international conference convened on April 27, 1945 in San Francisco to form the UN, decided to include the BSSR in the number of the founding countries of this new and most authoritative international organization of states, which today protects the peace, security and cooperation of peoples.
Victory in the Great Patriotic War consisted of the efforts of all the sons and daughters at that time of a single big Motherland and the unbroken spirit of each individual. We, their descendants, are obliged to forever keep the memory of their exploits and continue to carry their banner of peace as the highest value on earth.