- Boy, do you hear? Silence! We come here and remain silent. We are silent in order to hear.
– The stones are beautiful, but very sad. It's a shame they can't tell.
“They are silent, and so are we.” But we remember everything that happened before, we remember. They are silent because they cannot forget those terrible days. I want us and our children to remember in this place and in this silence how beautiful life is in the world and how hard this land has suffered. Silence…
- Uncle, tell me about the war.
On June 22, a requiem meeting was held in the Stasino tract, dedicated to the Day of National Remembrance of the victims of the Great Patriotic War and the genocide of the Belarusian people “Memory is stronger than time. Let's remember so that it doesn't happen again..."
That evening, more than three thousand people walked along a living corridor of 80 young men and women with lit candles of the flame of memory on both sides of the road leading to the burial - delegations of the district’s village councils, representatives of enterprises and organizations of the city and district, labor veterans, youth, the public - to pay tribute to the memory of civilians who died at the hands of punitive forces during the Great Patriotic War. During the rally, guys with lit candles laid out the number 80 as a symbol of peaceful years on Belarusian soil.
There are wounds that time does not heal. The countless victims of the Great Patriotic War are one of these unhealed wounds. On June 22 – the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow – those present gathered at the foot of one of the largest graves of civilians on the territory of Belarus. Here, on earth, abundantly watered with tears and the blood of 12.5 thousand innocent victims, we remembered every third Belarusian who died, we remembered those who, at the cost of their lives, fulfilled their duty to defend the Motherland, all those who were tortured in fascist captivity, who died in the rear from hunger and deprivation . We remembered the innocent souls of women, old people and children who were mercilessly destroyed because they wanted to live peacefully in their native land...
Every year there are fewer and fewer eyewitnesses of those war years around us. Many in their families remember their relatives, friends and acquaintances with tears in their eyes and pain in their hearts these days. They leaf through albums with old yellowed photographs, re-read documents and newspaper clippings that they have carefully preserved all these years. With a special sense of pride they hold in their hands orders and medals that rightfully belong to relatives-heroes.
Chairman of the district executive committee Grigory Protosovitsky addressed those present:
– Today, all of Belarus remembers the tragic events of June 22, 1941. Early in the morning, the war treacherously invaded our home, destroying destinies, families, cities and villages. For more than three years, the Belarusian land literally groaned from Nazi atrocities. The defense of their native land united the Belarusian people. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, being subjected to torture and terror, retained their honor and dignity. After decades of prosperity, we, preserving the historical truth, maintain state sovereignty and unity in the name of peace in our native land. And as long as we have memory, we will live with dignity and freedom in our native land and in our state.
Chairman of the Board of the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus Pavel Kallaur, whose childhood passed not far from this tragic place, could not ignore this requiem meeting:
– It is a great honor for me to be with you. This day is the day of the beginning of the genocide of the Belarusian people. Let's think for a moment that before that there were intentions, there were plans, and even before that there was disrespect for human values, dignity and human rights.
There are many wonderful young people here. And I turn to them first. The fight against genocide is, first of all, a fight in peacetime, a fight for human values. Today we honor the dignity of the dead people, the dignity of those who lie in these graves. Today I am not alone - with my family and grandchildren. And I really want them to hear my words. And I will repeat that the fight against genocide is a fight in peacetime. And this fight is for human values. Peace and prosperity to you, my dear fellow countrymen.
Diana Kovalskaya, a graduate of the Stolin State Gymnasium, also addressed those present:
– On behalf of my peers, I want to say that it is important for all people, especially young people, to know the history of their Motherland. And we must never forget about the Great Patriotic War, the most terrible in the history of mankind. We know about the war from books and films, and many have managed to communicate with living witnesses of the war. Dear adults, you brought to us this bitter memory of the past war. And we promise that we will come to these memorable places ourselves and bring our friends here. We will never forget how children died, hiding from bullets in their parents' arms. And how helpless old people died. We will never allow anyone to forget about the monstrous tragedies that the ideas of Nazism and the desire to impose one’s will by force lead to.
At all times, in all corners of human hearts, simple and understandable words of prayer have always been kept. Faith is given to us to rise above hardships and become stronger in moments of despair. It was faith that helped the liberator people bring peace to our Belarusian land. The flame of faith supports us even now, illuminates our path and gives us hope.
The floor was given to the rector of the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, R. Rechitsa to Priest Pavel Dobrinets:
– The day the Great Patriotic War began is the day the terrible brown plague arrived, which wanted not just to enslave, but to destroy people. With God's help, the people of Belarus, the victorious people, were able to overcome this test. Let us pray together for all those who died in this terrible war. May the Lord protect you, your family and friends and grant each of us peace, prosperity and the opportunity to live and give life.
Next, a funeral ceremony took place. Flowers were laid on the victims by representatives of the authorities, including member of the Council of the Republic Igor Lutsky, deputy of the House of Representatives Alexander Vechorko, the district deputy corps, representatives of law enforcement agencies, public organizations, labor collectives and residents of the district.
We honored the memory of everyone who gave their lives for our peaceful future with a minute of silence, and the symbols of peace - doves - flew into the sky with wishes for peace and harmony on the land of Belarus.
Victory over the enemy has never before been achieved by the number of millions of victims. And it is not known whether our fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers managed to survive if their mothers, wives and sisters had not prayed for them. The Orthodox faith is the spiritual basis of the heroism of the defenders of the Fatherland.
Alexander
NIKIFORENKO
Photo by the author
