News of the story
"On Point"
MINSK, 6 July (BelTA) - People of different ethnicities defended Brest Fortress, senior lecturer of the history department t Belarusian State University Sergei Kaun said in a new latest episode of the V Teme [On Point] project on BelTA's YouTube channel.
One of the points of defense of Brest Fortress was a garrison church which served as a community center. It is believed that Order No. 1 on the Brest Fortress garrison was written there. The church itself played a significant role in the defense of the fortress against the German army.
“The majority of those who defended the fortress were members of the Communist Party and Komsomol youth league, and their attitude to religion was as expected. Nevertheless, during a war, such a difficult time, religious feelings manifest themselves very strongly,” Sergei Kaun said.
The historian noted that among the defenders of Brest Fortress were people of different ethnicities. Lieutenant Kizhevatov was Mordvin, and Major Gavrilov was Tatar. Among the defenders was the elder brother of former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze.
“This is also a very important point. Hitler thought he could break the Soviet Union, that it was a colossus on clay feet. Once the hostilities began, the Soviet Union would collapse. But the friendship of peoples played a role. The garrison church was more than a garrison place of worship. It was the focal place of defense,” the historian said.
Follow us on:
