The twenty-second of June 1941 is one of the saddest dates in our history, the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. This day reminds of all the dead, tortured in Nazi captivity, who died in the rear from hunger and deprivation.
At dawn on June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany, treacherously violating the non-aggression pact, began a war against the Soviet Union. The most powerful grouping of German troops, Army Group Center, consisting of the 4th and 9th field armies, 2nd and 3rd tank groups, a total of 50 divisions, was advancing on the territory of Belarus. They were supported by 1,600 combat aircraft. Since the first day of the war, Belarus has become the scene of the largest battles. The first enemy strike was taken by border guards and advanced units of the covering troops. Enemy aircraft bombed railway junctions, airfields, as well as Brest, Grodno, Volkovysk, Baranovichi and other Belarusian cities. The border guards of the 17th Brest, 86th Augustovsky, 87th Lomzhinsky, 88th Shepetovsky border detachments and Soviet pilots fought heroically. In the first hours of the war, Brest and the fortress were subjected to massive shelling and aerial bombardment. The heroic garrison of the Brest fortress fought hard against the enemy for over a month.
The Great Patriotic War is a battle of the Soviet people against the Nazi invaders, unprecedented in history in terms of its scale and ferocity. In this war, Belarus lost every third inhabitant. We remember the glorious defenders of the Motherland who defended their native land, we are proud of the courage, heroism, steadfastness of Russian soldiers, officers, and dedication of home front workers – women, the elderly, and children. We bow our heads low in front of all the dead.
At noon on June 22, the All-Belarusian Minute of Silence will allow honoring the memory of everyone who saved peace on our land at the cost of their own lives.
Belarus remembers!
