Photo courtesy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly
MINSK, 8 May (BelTA) – Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus Igor Sergeyenko and MPs have laid flowers ahead of Victory Day at a mass grave of Soviet Army soldiers, underground resistance fighters and civilians killed by Nazi German invaders in 1941-1944, located at Minsk’s Chelyuskintsev Park, BelTA has learned.
“9 May, Victory Day, is a special holiday. On the one hand, it is a day of joy: on 8 May, the act of unconditional surrender of Nazi Germany was signed, and on 9 May, the bloody Great Patriotic War came to an end. On the other hand, it is a day of sorrow, as millions of lives were lost in the crucible of war,” Igor Sergeyenko told journalists after the flower-laying ceremony.
On 8 May, MPs are paying tribute to all the fallen: Soviet Army soldiers, partisans, underground resistance fighters, concentration camp prisoners, prisoners of war and civilians.
“We visit these graves and small rural memorials, honor the monuments to the liberators, and hold the memory of our heroic ancestors sacred. At the same time, we see the sacrilegious treatment of these shrines and holidays in the West, where celebrating Victory Day or displaying Soviet symbols is now prohibited,” he said.
The speaker noted that one million of our compatriots died during the liberation of Poland and the Baltic republics alone.
“Every Belarusian family holds the memory of their parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents sacred. The war touched every single home in Belarus. Some fought in partisan detachments, others helped by tending to the wounded or baking bread. Victory was also forged behind enemy lines. Many walked the paths of war, and I vividly remember the stories of my father, who fought in the 330th Mogilev Red Banner Infantry Division and went through the heat of battle,” Igor Sergeyenko said, adding that relics and photographs from that time are kept in every family.
According to the speaker of the House of Representatives, documentary film and photo archives play a special role in preserving the memory of the Great Patriotic War. Alongside feature films, these materials must be shown to the youth.
Igor Sergeyenko also noted that the flowers were laid at the monument in rainy, inclement weather. “Just imagine what it was like to fight and advance in the freezing cold, in the slush, living in trenches, crossing rivers, and building bridges under fire. They kept moving forward, driven by immense enthusiasm, sheer will, love for their motherland, and patriotism – all to forge this Victory,” the speaker emphasized.
The monument at the mass burial site features a sculpture of a grieving woman set on a concrete base with a relief inscription. It is estimated that approximately 10,000 people were buried here. In 2005, Chelyuskintsev Park was added to the State List of Historical and Cultural Values of the Republic of Belarus. By a decision of the Minsk City Executive Committee, the mass grave and the Grieving Mother monument were granted the status of a historical memorial burial site in 2018.
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