500+ villages to supplement list of Belarusian settlements affected by Great Patriotic War
The list of Belarusian settlements destructed during the Great Patriotic War will be replenished with more than 500 names in the coming months, sb.by reports with reference to the Telegram channel of the Institute of History of Belarus’ National Academy of Sciences
“On the eve of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War, the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus held a regular meeting of the interim interdepartmental working group (led by Chairman of the Presidium Vladimir Gusakov) engaged into the study of the data obtained during the investigation of the criminal case on the genocide of the population of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War. As a result of the joint work of the Prosecutor General's Office, all regional prosecutor's offices, scientists from the Institute of History and Polotsk State University, who are the heads of regional subgroups, as well as other members of the working group, have established new figures on the number of affected settlements in Belarus, including those that shared the fate of Khatyn,” the Institute of History experts explained.
As reported, new data will soon be available to the public. “We can already say that the existing list will be replenished with another 500+ Belarusian settlements, following a year-long hard work,” the researchers added.
In April 2021, the Prosecutor General's Office of Belarus made a decision to institute criminal proceedings on the facts of the genocide of the Belarusian people committed by Nazi criminals, their accomplices, and criminal formations during the Great Patriotic War (1941-1945) and the post-war period on the territory of the BSSR and other states. The investigation is carried out by the prosecutorial staff of the prosecutor's offices at all levels — including the district ones and the Prosecutor General's Office. Assistance is provided by employees of the Investigative Committee, the State Committee for Forensic Examinations, the Interior Ministry, the Defence Ministry, and employees of other government agencies and organisations. The key objectives of the investigation of the criminal case are to collect evidence confirming the true scale of the tragedy that the Belarusian people experienced during the occupation, establish all the facts of the criminal actions of the punishers on the territory of the BSSR, bring to justice the escaped Nazi criminals and their accomplices, preserve historical memory, consolidate the Belarusian society, educate it in the spirit of patriotism and love for the Motherland, ensure the ideological continuity of generations.
