KIROVSK DISTRICT, 22 March (BelTA) – A requiem rally on the Day of Remembrance of the Tragedy in Khatyn took place at a memorial complex in the village of Borki, Kirovsk District, Mogilev Oblast on 22 March, BelTA has learned.
On the Day of Remembrance of the Tragedy in Khatyn, Mogilev Oblast paid tribute to the region’s residents who were brutally tortured and killed by Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945.
On 15 June 1942, one of the Nazis’ largest punitive operations in Belarus’ territory took place in Kirovsk District. On that day the Nazis destroyed the village of Borki and several neighboring settlements along with their residents. More than 2,000 civilians were burned alive and shot. Nowadays, this is a memorial site.
The first part of the commemorative event was a motor rally: tens of vehicles gathered in Borki from across the entire oblast. Representatives of the oblast administration, the Kirovsk District administration, public organizations, legislators, veterans, and young people – people of all ages – laid flowers at the memorial today.
Among those who came to Borki on this commemorative day was Tatiana Degtyarenko from Mogilev, along with her family: her husband Aleksandr and nine-year-old daughter Sofia. “On days like this, it’s important to visit memorial sites as families, to bring children, to talk about those events and tell the story of that war to young people. So that they know, remember, value, and cherish peace. And most importantly so that they don’t allow those terrible events to happen again,” she shared.
Sofia often goes with her class to various events and field trips. She has also been to the WW2 memorial Khatyn. “It’s a terrible place, especially when they told us what happened there. And when the bell rang, it hurt inside,” she said. “But we need to visit such memorials. This is the history of our region, of our people. And we need to know it.”
Yulia Belyavskaya, Deputy Director for Core Operations at Kirovsk Kindergarten No.1, came with her staff to honor the memory of her fellow townspeople. “People entrust us with the most precious thing they have – their children. We are responsible for their upbringing, including their patriotic education. It’s hard to explain such things to little ones just with words. We have to lead by example,” she says. “That’s why we’re here today to honor the memory of the fallen, to tell the children what war is, so that they may appreciate the peaceful sky and a calm, creative life even more.”
A memorial service, the laying of flowers, a minute of silence, and a prayer for the fallen – many struggled to hold back their tears.
Oleg Stelmashok, Deputy Chairman of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee, noted that such events and places are important and sacred to every Belarusian. After all, the war affected so many families. That is why it is so important today to remember and talk about this, to cherish peace, and not to allow anyone to distort history.
“This tragedy affected every family. Every family suffered losses. As we support and build a peaceful life, we have to remember this and pass it on to future generations,” he concluded.
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