Lakiza: everything possible is done to ensure there’re no white spots in case of genocide of Belarusian people

“Scientists of the Institute of History at the National Academy of Sciences, universities, the Prosecutor General’s Office are doing everything possible to ensure that there are no white spots left in the criminal case on the genocide of the Belarusian people, which has been under investigation since 2021. Everything is aimed at an objective study of materials that are being currently identified, including with the participation of our Russian colleagues, partners from museums, archival and scientific institutions,” noted Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Vadim Lakiza during a round table dedicated to the Day of Unity of the Peoples of Belarus and Russia.

“It’s possible to give thousands and thousands of examples of how history unites the peoples of Belarus and Russia,” he said. “However, the main historical bond is our common victory in the Great Patriotic War. That is why on March 22nd, new figures of the genocide of the Belarusian people were announced in Khatyn, which in general fits into the concept of the genocide of the Soviet people. 10,961 settlements were destroyed and burnt down during the Great Patriotic War. These are almost 11,000 settlements, which today are immortalised in Khatyn in a new museum created on behalf of the President of Belarus. This figure is lit in red in the museum. 216 settlements shared the fate of Khatyn. There were 186, but 30 settlements were added to this mournful list. The small Belarusian village of Khatyn has become a symbol of this tragedy. This is the most important bond of our joint scientific work in the field of preserving historical memory, in principle, the historical policy of the two fraternal states,” Vadim Lakiza stressed.