USHACHI DISTRICT, 1 May (BelTA) – The Proryv [Breakthrough] Memorial leaves a strong impact, Chairman of the House of Representatives Igor Sergeyenko said during the patriotic event dedicated to the 80th anniversary of breaking the enemy’s encirclement by partisans of the Polotsk-Lepel zone, BelTA has learned.
“80 years ago, everyone here was a hero, both those who were in the military ranks and also those who were outside the military system: a fighter of partisan units and a village boy who became a partisan messenger, and a gray-haired old man who showed the partisans paths through impassable places, and women who took care of the wounded and baked bread. There were intense battles in Ushachi District. Probably, it was one of the largest punitive operations carried out by the Nazis against the partisans. From the autumn of 1942 to April 1944, the Polotsk-Lepel partisan zone operated here and the Soviet power was restored. Several districts were completely controlled by partisans and, in fact, during this period, no fascist set foot here,” Igor Sergeyenko said.
He added that there were schools and small enterprises here. This zone also maintained communication with the mainland and got weapons and medicines supplied.
“At a certain stage, the war began to come to an end. This zone stood in the way of the Nazis, as it interfered with their communications. The Nazis sent huge forces here. Yet, the partisans still managed to break out of the encirclement. They came out with heavy losses, but saved thousands of civilians and their comrades. In addition, the partisans did not lose their combat capability and later took part in the liberation of Belarus,” the chairman of the House of Representatives stressed.
Igor Sergeyenko noted that he first visited the Proryv Memorial as a seventh-grade schoolboy after reading the book by the famous partisan commander, Hero of the USSR Vladimir Lobanok “Partisans Go Into Battle”.
“This place leaves a strong impact. My parents brought me here when the complex was only a few years old. Today there are as many people as it was then. As long as the people’s memory of the local military events is alive and people come here, our country has a future,” Igor Sergeyenko added.