GRODNO DISTRICT, 18 September (BelTA) – On 17 September, Skidel commemorated the events of 17 September 1939. The city held a rally dedicated to the Day of People’s Unity and a reenactment of the Skidel Uprising, BelTA learned.
A rally took place in the city park where the remains of participants of the Skidel Uprising were reburied after the Great Patriotic War and a commemorative plaque was installed. According to Chairman of the Skidel Veterans' Council Vasily Kazak, revolutionary committees were established in major settlements even before the arrival of the liberating army. They disarmed local police and osadniks (settlers), taking power into their own hands. A significant armed uprising erupted in Skidel. Local communists arrested the burgomaster, seized the police station, and took control of the post office, telegraph, and power plant. Armed groups from Glinyany and Peschanka arrived in Skidel. Vasily Kazak noted that the Polish authorities attempted to suppress the uprising by sending a punitive detachment to the town, which began to rampage, kill and burn buildings.
"The Red Army, advancing from the direction of Lida and learning of the uprising in Skidel, organized a so-called flying detachment under the command of Captain Chernyavsky. It was sent to assist the insurgents. At that time, Polish punitive forces drove over a hundred people from Skidel towards the village of Kotra to kill. But a Soviet aircraft flew over, the guards scattered, and the people returned home. The Red Army soldiers, arriving in time, liberated the city, and celebrations began,” said Vasily Kazak.
"The Red Army, advancing from the direction of Lida and learning of the uprising in Skidel, organized a so-called flying detachment under the command of Captain Chernyavsky. It was sent to assist the insurgents. At that time, Polish punitive forces drove over a hundred people from Skidel towards the village of Kotra to kill. But a Soviet aircraft flew over, the guards scattered, and the people returned home. The Red Army soldiers, arriving in time, liberated the city, and celebrations began,” said Vasily Kazak.
According to Chairman of the Grodno District Executive Committee Valery Khelsky, 17 September is an important date for the entire country, but for Grodno District it is a particularly special day. “The uprising that took place in the small town of Skidel is another confirmation that Belarusians should live in one country, as one common family. People at that time clearly understood and knew this, they performed an immortal feat, they died for freedom and for the unity of our people,” he said.
It is noteworthy that this year, the events of those years were recreated in a historical reenactment that unfolded in the center of Skidel, near the very building that housed the Polish magistrate back in 1939. From the balcony of this building, even before the Red Army's arrival, it was announced that Soviet power was being established in the city, and a red flag was raised. On a grand and spectacular scale, reenactors from all over Belarus recreated the picture of those days. As head of the military-historical club association Chest Mundira [Honor of the Uniform], Vladimir Kolot noted, the presented reenactment is very rare. “It is being held for the first time and is unique in this regard. Its subject matter is interesting because these events are not widely known. It is great that we can now recreate these events at this historic site. In fact, the Skidel Uprising had never been reenacted by military history clubs until now,” he noted. More than 60 people took part in the reenactment, including residents of Skidel who had the chance to portray people of that time.
Members of the audience said that the event made a tremendous impression on them. “They played their parts brilliantly. It was like going to the theater, really. The visuals bring to life what you have only read about. The noise, the explosions, the trained horses, the acting—it was all very impressive,” Aleksei Rak said.
“It was thrilling. It is hard to believe that it actually happened. When you read or hear about it, you imagine it differently. But when you witness the events with your own eyes, you understand their scale and significance. We were deeply moved,” Olga Kalenik noted.
Skidel’s newest resident, Svetlana Belyaeva, who moved here with her husband from Kazakhstan about two months ago, noted how interesting it was to learn more about the town’s history in this way. “The performance is so moving that it gives you goosebumps. It feels like you were actually right there in the middle of the action. We were really impressed,” she said.
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