Soldiers’ remains reburied

Remains of 379 Red Army soldiers and commanders have been reburied in the Svetlogorsk District near the village of Veliki Bor – following the work of the 52nd separate specialised search battalion and the Estafeta Pamyati [Memory Relay] search squad

The figures are striking: in the area of Veliki Bor, for example, remains of 148 people were detected, near Zarechie – 196, and near the village of Yazvin – 30. The Director of Svetlogorsk’s Local History Museum, Irina Zayats, explains, “During the war, the Svetlogorsk District was under the strongest blow of enemy troops. For almost eight months in 1943-1944, a front line was located on the border of Ola, Stuzhki, Mikhailovka and Prityka, and heavy battles aimed at liberation of all villages were common. More than 26,000 Red Army soldiers were buried in local mass graves.”

The echo of bloody battles still reverberates over this land. The search squad commander, Roman Tereshchenko, adds, “Each of us lost someone in the war. For example, my both grandfathers were killed and one of them has not yet been found. For three years, we’ve discovered remains of more than 600 fighters. We constantly visit schools and educate our children. In addition, we’ve created a small museum where artefacts of the past war are kept.”

During the reburial ceremony in Veliki Bor, a deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly, Igor Tavtyn, noted, “The war is not over until its last soldier is buried. The Belarusian land still holds remains of the fallen soldiers."

So far, 1,779 fighters are buried in a mass grave near Veliki Bor. The names of 174 of them still remain unknown.