Lukashenko presents state awards ahead of Victory Day

MINSK, 7 May (BelTA) – Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko has presented state awards to outstanding representatives of various fields ahead of the sacred Victory Day holiday, BelTA has learned.

“In the run-up to the great, sacred holiday, Victory Day, we have gathered in this hall of the Palace of Independence to present awards to our best people. This symbolic tradition is yet another living thread of memory that connects times and generations, taking each of us back to that distant May of 1945,” the head of state said during the award ceremony. “Destroyed, burned, but not conquered Belarus, which lost every third person in the crucible of the Great Patriotic War, together with other peoples of the Soviet Union saved the planet from the brown plague. This is the greatest pride of the entire Soviet people.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko emphasized that in those spring days the liberated republic was rising from the ashes: “People worked selflessly, restoring factory workshops and cities from ruins. They greeted the Victory trains with bouquets of wildflowers. And on 9 May almost all residents of Minsk came out onto Lenin Square.”

The president noted that after the festive rally it was decided to commemorate that happiest and long-awaited day. By evening, thousands of trees had been planted in the capital, and Victory Alley appeared. This initiative was warmly supported in other cities across the republic. “Victory Parks, Gardens and Alleys, the Alleys of Hero-Victors, and the Alleys of Partisan Glory can now be found in almost every Belarusian city or town. Because a tree symbolizes life. Peaceful, creative work symbolizes confidence in the future,” the Belarusian leader said.

“Just like they did [the representatives of the heroic generation of victors], we glorify our Motherland primarily through our labor achievements. But if necessary, we are ready to defend it, without sparing our lives, with weapons in hand, just as they did,” the head of state assured.

Among those who received state awards were many representatives of the security and defense sector. As Aleksandr Lukashenko noted, these are people who are always on duty. “Every peaceful day, every peaceful year is their tremendous achievement,” he stressed.

The president expressed his gratitude to agricultural workers, “whose hands smell of bread and milk”: “You ensure no less important food security. It is your hard work that has brought Belarus into the ranks of the world’s leading food-exporting countries.”

Aleksandr Lukashenko also pointed to domestic brands widely known beyond Belarus: Atlant refrigerators and the cornflower-blue liveries of Belavia aircraft. “The teams at these enterprises have turned them into national brands through their work,” he added.

The head of state also spoke about the achievements of representatives of the construction sector, the energy industry, trade, and cultural figures. “Our construction industry is renowned. You are constantly improving the appearance of Belarusian cities and towns. And those who work in energy and trade make people’s lives more comfortable and convenient every year. The natural and man-made beauty of our homeland is an inexhaustible source of inspiration for our cultural figures, whose talent brings joy to countless admirers,” the Belarusian leader said.

“There are also two modest young men in this hall who are not used to applause. They received their awards not for professional achievements. Risking their own lives, they saved people from a fire. This is an example of proper upbringing, which begins in the family and at school,” the president emphasized.

In this context, he drew attention to the role of teachers, noting that any state, any profession, any achievement begins with a teacher. “This is the cornerstone on which our entire world stands. I am glad that among the awardees the largest group is from education and science. Each of them has significant personal achievements and has certainly managed to raise worthy students,” the head of state said.

Three representatives of education and science who received awards from the president personally witnessed Victory Day in 1945. “They are still at their posts,” he stressed.

“Dear friends! On the eve ofn the run-up to this bright holiday, I want to congratulate all of you on your well-deserved state awards and the upcoming celebration. I wish you, above all, a peaceful sky above your heads. All of us together, including you, perhaps even first and foremost, must do everything to ensure that this sky remains peaceful. This sky now belongs not only to us, but to our children and grandchildren,” the Belarusian leader said. “If there is peace, there will be bread, children will be born, cities will be built, and gardens will certainly bloom. We, Belarusians, will live, love and strive for new labor achievements, not only for ourselves, but also for those young men and women who sacrificed themselves to give us this Great Victory, and therefore our future.”

The head of state addressed veterans of the Great Patriotic War with words of gratitude, assuring them that Belarusians will always remain faithful to traditions. “We need you very much, because without you it would be very difficult for us. Human memory is such that over time it fades. It becomes less sharp. And we, who have preserved the truth about that Great Victory, have done so primarily thanks to you, those who lived through those difficult times and told us and our youth how it really was. This is the simple reason why you are so very important, not only to us,” Aleksandr Lukashenko stressed. “As for those living in Belarus today, I want our elders to know: we will not give your Victory to anyone. We will always remain faithful to the traditions you created and in which you raised us. Thank you for this.”

The president wished everyone happiness, success and health, noting that he is pleased to meet people who contribute to the prosperity of Belarus. “You have done much to make our Belarus so bright, kind and beautiful. We must preserve such a Belarus and make it even better and more beautiful. This is our mission. Congratulations on the upcoming holiday,” he concluded.

more to come

Vasily Svirid, Chairman of the Denshchikov Agricultural Enterprise in Grodno Oblast, has been awarded the Order of the Fatherland 2nd Class.

Yuri Kharin, Director of the Institute of Applied Problems of Mathematics and Informatics at Belarusian State University, has been awarded the Order of the Fatherland 3rd Class.

Aleksandr Shastailo, Head of the Internal Affairs Directorate of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee, has been awarded the Order for Service to the Homeland 3rd Class.

The Order of Honor has been awarded to: Oleg Lavrukhin, Prosecutor of Minsk; Georgy Vershina, Director General of the BNTU Polytechnic Science and Technology Park; Oleg Dashkevich, Director General of the Trust Minskpromstroy; Pavel Serenkov, Head of the Department of Standardization, Metrology and Information Systems at the Belarusian National Technical University; Aleksandr Sharapo, Professor of the Department of International Relations at BSU; Gleb Parkhamovich, First Deputy Director General for Production Organization at Belavia Airlines; and Aleksandr Shinkevich, Chief Mechanic at the Minsk Refrigerators Plant Atlant.

The Medal for Saved Life has been awarded to Roman Leonov, a senior sergeant in the 153rd Separate Radio Technical Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Belarus, and Sergei Shindikov, a livestock worker at the agricultural enterprise Ovsyanka named after I.I. Melnik in Gorki District.

The Medal of Francysk Skaryna has been awarded to Zoya Vasilenko, professor of the Department of Public Catering and Meat Products Technology at the Belarusian State University of Food and Chemical Technologies, and Oleg Shcherbov, Director of the Soligorsk Children’s Art School.

Workers from various fields have been awarded the Medal for Labor Merits. In addition, honorary titles have been conferred. The People’s Teacher of Belarus title has been awarded to Aleksandr Feldman, a mathematics teacher at Yanka Kupala Secondary School No. 19 in Minsk. The Honored Scientist of Belarus title has been awarded to Mikhail Baranovsky, chief researcher at the Laboratory for Developing Intensive Technologies of Milk and Beef Production at the Scientific and Practical Center of the National Academy of Sciences for Animal Husbandry, and Anatoly Serdyukov, professor of the Department of Optics at Francysk Skaryna Gomel State University.