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21 August 2025, 12:42

Remains of 21 Red Army soldiers reinterred in Vitebsk District

VITEBSK DISTRICT, 21 August (BelTA) - The remains of 21 Red Army soldiers were discovered during excavations in Vitebsk District were reburied in a ceremony in the agro-town of Kopty on 21 August, BelTA has learned.

The remains of 14 Soviet soldiers, found in May in the vicinity of the agro-town of Kopty, and of seven others discovered near the village of Baryshino, were laid to rest in the mass grave. The excavations were conducted by servicemen of the 52nd Separate Specialized Search Battalion together with the search detachments ‘Scouts of Military Glory’ and ‘Vitebsk Frontier’. It was not possible to establish the identities of the defenders of the Vitebsk land as no medals or personal items were found with them.
Among those who recovered the soldiers' remains was Dilara Yermoshchenko, a graduate of Vitebsk Secondary School No. 40. "Overall, I have been involved in search activities for about five years now. The first two years were about studying the archival documents. Initially, I wanted to join the military-patriotic club at our school, but I didn't pass the health requirements. Our history teacher collaborated with the search detachment 'Scouts of Military Glory' and introduced us to this work. My classmates and I went on an excavation, got captivated by it, and that's how a search detachment was established at our school. To be honest, it sometimes brings you to tears when we recover the soldiers' remains, participate in their reburials, and especially when we find their relatives. It's also a great joy because we understand we are doing a much needed job," the girl shared.

This year, she was admitted to Vitebsk State Medical University. Dilara noted that she plans to continue the search work at the university as well.
Viktor Dorozhkin, Chairman of the Vitebsk District Council of Deputies, stated that this year alone, the remains of more than 200 Red Army soldiers have already been recovered in the district, and the search will continue.
The participants of the commemorative ceremony that brought together representatives of local authorities, search party members, the public, and youth observed a moment of silence to honor the memory of the fallen soldiers. 


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