BREST, 22 June (BelTA) – The military-historical re-enactment “22 June. The Brest Fortress" dedicated to the Day of the National Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War and the 80th anniversary of the heroic defense of the Brest Fortress was held in the Brest Hero Fortress memorial complex, BelTA has learned.
The re-enactment at the Kobrin fortification began immediately after the commemorative rally, at 5 in the morning. Thousands of spectators gathered to watch the event. More than 300 re-enactors from Belarus, Russia, Ukraine and the Baltic states took part in the the festival. The production also involved hardware – a tank, an armored personnel carrier, trucks, motorcycles. The enthusiasts brought some of the vehicles. Heavy-duty hardware was provided courtesy of the Belarusfilm national studio, weapons and ammunition – by the Defense Ministry.
The reenactment began with the recreation of the last peaceful day, with drills in the fortress, children of the command staff playing, philharmonic artists performing near the casemates, and a dancing party. The key episodes of the reenactment included the beginning of the war, an artillery attack, a German tank attack, a counterattack led by Samvel Matevosyan, a breakthrough by Major Pyotr Gavrilov, surrender of the wounded, women and children, and mop-up of the fortress.
“The enemy was fierce, cruel, well-equipped and trained. All of Europe was already under their boot, and no country in the world could defeat them. Our task is to show the feat of ordinary people, border guards, soldiers and commanders who engaged in an unequal battle. The fortress did not surrender, did not die, it simply bled out. It is very important that those who live under a peaceful sky and have not experienced this war understand everything and appreciate what that generation did,” Yuri Kireyev, Chairman of the Board of the Military History Club Garrison said.
It was the first fortress defense reenactment for Yuri Karpovich from Minsk. According to the scenario, he provided fire support against the advancing Wehrmacht troops. “My two grandfathers were killed on the front line: one near Koenigsberg, the other went missing. The war was a tragedy for my family. Today history is often reviewed, values are reconsidered. It is important that we keep our memory alive. The further those times go back in history, the harder it is to understand the tragedy of those events. This is why we take part in reenactments to help people remember,” Yuri Karpovich said.
Oleg Kalashnikov from Russia's Voronezh leads the military-historical club Fatherland. He and his wife have not missed a single event in Brest over the past ten years. He played the role of a battalion commissar. “Today is the 80th anniversary of the heroic defense. But for me it does not matter whether it is an anniversary or not. There is a fortress which once was soaked in blood of our soldiers, so I will keep coming here as long as I can. We must remember and honor all the defenders of the fortress by name,” said Oleg Kalashnikov.
The reenactment lasted for about 50 minutes and ended with a minute of silence in memory of the fallen heroes. The event was organized by the Brest Oblast Executive Committee, the Brest Oblast youth center and the military-historical club Garnizon.
