GRODNO, 7 May (BelTA) - Tree of Life monument was unveiled on the grounds of the Stalag 324 camp for Soviet prisoners of war that operated in Grodno from 1941 to 1942, BelTA learned.
Taking into account the presence of mass graves in the former camp, it has been granted the status of a historical-memorial burial place by the decision of the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee in 2023. A large-scale work is underway to establish the names of the Soviet soldiers buried here.
The importance of today's event was emphasized by Anatoly Gubsky, a prisoner of the Nazi concentration camp. “I can barely hold back my tears, to be honest. I was a kid during the war, but I remember everything well. For me, everything started in Bobruisk,” Anatoly Gubsky shared his story. He, his mother and two sisters were rescued from the concentration camp by Soviet soldiers. He went through three camps.
“I remember strong shooting. We were scared in the barracks. We thought it was another bombing; we had to hide under the bunks. But it turned out to be shooting from guns, tanks, artillery, pistols… People started rejoicing understanding that it was over,” he said.
Addressing the current generation, Anatoly Gubsky said: “Stand firm, take care of our dear Belarus. And remember the war so that it never happens again.”
The participants of the event laid a time capsule in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. It will be opened on the day of the 100th anniversary of the Great Victory.
This is not the first event to commemorate the victims of genocide, Belarusian Prosecutor General Andrei Shved said during the ceremony. “But every time you have your heart in your throat. In two days we will celebrate the Day of Great Victory - the greatest victory in the history of mankind. Because 80 years ago our ancestors defeated a terrible beast - fascism in the face of Germany and practically all the countries of Western Europe, who came here, on our land to exterminate all of us,” Andrei Shved said. According to him, the greatness of this victory will only grow with each decade.
According to Governor of Grodno Oblast Yuri Karayev, it is everyone's duty to remember all those who were buried on the long-suffering Belarusian land. “The battles of armed forces, armies among themselves have absolutely nothing to do with what we honor here today. Because armies fight, defeat each other, kill each other and take prisoners, but only fascists, only monsters torture and kill prisoners,” Yuri Karayev said.
The governor noted that Western pseudo-historians and propagandists are trying to blur the history, to divert attention from the crimes of fascism, but this is unacceptable. Yuri Karayev also stressed that memory has materialized on this place, where the Tree of Life has been installed today, and it is important to pass it on from generation to generation by such examples.
This place was called the factory of death. Stalag 324 was built by the Nazis in July-November 1941. The camp of 50 hectares was fenced by two rows of barbed wire, guarded by dogs. Towers with machine gunners were located along the perimeter, at a distance of 100 meters from each other. Prisoners of war were kept in 96 dugouts.
Stalag 324 held about 36,000 prisoners. It is established that more than 18,000 people died there. About 20,000 were taken to Germany for slave labor. The camp for prisoners of war existed until the autumn of 1942. From that time it held civilian prisoners as the transit camp Kolbasino was established here. During the retreat, the Nazis tried to hide their horrible crimes - they leveled tombstones, masked mass graves, and burned the remains. The remains of Soviet soldiers and civilians, tokens and fragments of military uniforms have been unearthed thanks to the 52nd separate specialized search battalion. The names of 1,600 victims of the Stalag 324 camp have been established are immortalized on the memorial complex.
Taking into account the presence of mass graves in the former camp, it has been granted the status of a historical-memorial burial place by the decision of the Grodno Oblast Executive Committee in 2023. A large-scale work is underway to establish the names of the Soviet soldiers buried here.
The importance of today's event was emphasized by Anatoly Gubsky, a prisoner of the Nazi concentration camp. “I can barely hold back my tears, to be honest. I was a kid during the war, but I remember everything well. For me, everything started in Bobruisk,” Anatoly Gubsky shared his story. He, his mother and two sisters were rescued from the concentration camp by Soviet soldiers. He went through three camps.
“I remember strong shooting. We were scared in the barracks. We thought it was another bombing; we had to hide under the bunks. But it turned out to be shooting from guns, tanks, artillery, pistols… People started rejoicing understanding that it was over,” he said.
Addressing the current generation, Anatoly Gubsky said: “Stand firm, take care of our dear Belarus. And remember the war so that it never happens again.”
The participants of the event laid a time capsule in honor of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War. It will be opened on the day of the 100th anniversary of the Great Victory.
Follow us on:
