May glory never fade! May traditions live on!

On April 8th, Kobrin, Rechitsa, Slonim, Senno, Slavgorod and Smolevichi were added to the 36 towns previously awarded the pennant For Courage and Steadfastness during the Great Patriotic War

This was the most terrible and bloody war of the entire 20th century. Despite the fact that at least every third resident of Belarus died during the war, our glorious ancestors stood firm and broke the spine of the fascist beast in May 1945.

Sculpture of liberator warrior by Eternal Flame in Slonim                ALEKSEY BIBIKOV

Carved in stone 

The practice of awarding honorary titles to towns for military feats began during the height of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. On December 22nd, 1942, the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR issued a Decree On Establishment of Medals ‘For the Defence of Leningrad’, ‘For the Defence of Odessa’, ‘For the Defence of Sevastopol’, ‘For the Defence of Stalingrad’. On December 24th, the front page of the newspaper Pravda (Truth) featured an editorial entitled A Sign of Steadfastness and Selfless Bravery, in which the expression ‘hero city’ was used for the first time. This phrase was a figure of speech until May 1st, 1945, when — by order of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the USSR, J.V. Stalin — Leningrad, Odessa, Sevastopol, and Stalingrad were named hero cities. On May 8th, 1965, the Brest Fortress received the Hero Fortress title. And in 1974, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the liberation of the Byelorussian SSR from the German fascist invaders, Minsk was awarded the honorary Hero City title with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star Medal.

Align on the pennant!

Just over 30 years later, on October 6th, 2004, the President of Belarus supported the idea of continuing the tradition of awarding settlements that had particularly distinguished themselves in the fight against the Nazi invaders, and established a new insignia — the pennant For Courage and Steadfastness during the Great Patriotic War.
Until recently, 36 settlements of the republic have been awarded the pennant: the towns of Brest, Bobruisk, Borisov, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Zhlobin, Zaslavl, Klichev, Krichev, Lepel, Lida, Minsk, Mogilev, Molodechno, Orsha, Pinsk, Polotsk, Rogachev, Skidel, Baranovichi, Dzerzhinsk, Dyatlovo, Kalinkovichi, Lyuban, Osipovichi, Chausy, the urban-type settlements of Ushachi, Begoml, Loyev, Oktyabrsky (Karpilovka), Rossony, Surazh, Obol and Osveya, and the village of Ostroshitsky Gorodok. Our newspaper has already reported on each of these settlements.
On April 8th, 2025, the President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, signed Decree No. 144 On Awarding the Pennant For Courage and Steadfastness during the Great Patriotic War.
According to the decree, six Belarusian towns, which are examples of heroism and nationwide resistance, have been awarded the pennant. These include Kobrin, Rechitsa, Slonim, Senno, Slavgorod and Smolevichi.
Let’s recall once again how the residents of the towns awarded pennants this year fought for the Great Victory.

Kobrin

From the first days of the occupation, the population of Kobrin rose to fight the enemy, forming underground committees and partisan detachments. Ten partisan detachments and two reconnaissance and sabotage groups from the Red Army headquarters operated in the area, preventing the occupiers from feeling like full masters on Kobrin land.
The cruelty of German fascists came at a high cost for the Belarusians. During the years of the occupation, 65 punitive Nazi operations were carried out in Kobrin Region. The total number of people who died during the Great Patriotic War was about 13,000 residents of the region.

Rechitsa

The German Nazis occupied the town on August 23rd, 1941. On the very first day of the occupation, a group of partisans led by Pavel Markal destroyed a motorcycle and wounded a motorcyclist on a town street.
Partisan detachments began to be created from the first days of the war. According to a report of August 4th, 1941 by the secretary of the Gomel Regional Committee of the Party, I. P. Kozhar, five partisan groups with a total strength of 417 people were created in Rechitsa Region.
The Rechitsa land was burning under the feet of the fascists, both literally and figuratively. About 10,000 civilians became victims of the Nazis during the occupation in the region. Of the region’s 222 villages, 119 were burned — 69 of them completely, the rest partially.

Slonim

Partisan groups began operating in Slonim District within the first months of the war. A partisan detachment named after Shchors was created, commanded by Red Army officer Pronyagin. Later, several partisan brigades emerged, along with an underground district party committee, and an underground district newspaper began publication.
Slonim Region suffered enormous losses. Approximately 50,000 people were killed, tortured, and burned here, almost 45,000 of whom were civilians. The town was under occupation until July 10th, 1944. The liberation of Slonim is associated with the name of Colonel-General Pavel Batov, commander of the 65th Army of the 1st Byelorussian Front.

Senno

One of the largest tank battles of the early Great Patriotic War took place near the town, with over 1,500 tanks involved on both sides. From the first days of the occupation, Senno became a partisan area with more than a hundred avenger detachments and a liaison airfield. In October 1941, the Senno partisan brigade was formed under the command of V.S. Leonov, a former regimental commissar. The Uncle Kostya brigade operated in the district. Konstantin Zaslonov died a hero’s death in battle with punitive forces on November 14th, 1942, near the village of Kupovat. By mid-1943, 113 partisan detachments, forming part of 13 partisan brigades, were operating in the district. The partisans controlled an area of 1,500 square kilometres.

Slavgorod 

Until May 23rd, 1945, Slavgorod was called Propoysk. The town was occupied on August 13th, 1941. Immediately after the territory was seized by the fascists, an underground district committee of the CPB (Communist Party of Byelorussia) was established, and 11 underground groups began operating. The underground fighters carried out sabotage operations behind enemy lines and helped the partisans. Sixteen partisan formations operated in the district, among which the special raiding regiment Thirteen under the command of Hero of the Soviet Union S. V. Grishin stood out. Slavgorod was liberated on November 25th, 1943 during the Gomel-Rechitsa offensive operation.

Smolevichi 

Smolevichi was occupied on June 26th, 1941. The fascists never felt safe here, day or night. Partisan brigades operated in the district: Uncle Kolya, Death to Fascism, For Soviet Byelorussia, Red Flag, Rout, as well as separate detachments — Artur and Locals. The underground and partisan struggle against the Nazis was led by underground district committees of the CP(b)B (Communist Party of Byelorussia (Bolsheviks)). During the war, 6,800 residents died in the town and Smolevichi District. The settlement was liberated on July 2nd, 1944.

BITTER FIGURES OF THE WAR

Every day, we lose participants of those terrible and, at the same time, great events. As Belarus’ Ministry of Labour and Social Protection has informed, as of April 1st of this year, there are 814 veterans of the Great Patriotic War living in the republic, including 431 participants and disabled veterans. Heroes are leaving us, and with them an era is passing. It is our sacred duty not only to preserve in memory the examples of steadfastness, courage, heroism, and selfless love for the Fatherland of our glorious ancestors, but also to pass them on to future generations. Time has its own memory — history. Belarus has sacredly and reverently preserved and will continue to preserve its heroic past.

By Oleg Usachev