In Vitebsk, the Day of Remembrance of Internationalist Soldiers was observed.
The date of February 15, 1989, when the last units of the Soviet troops left Afghanistan, is inscribed in the history of the country as a joyful and mournful day. It is a holiday with tears in the eyes that the passing decades have not dried.
Every year, on a frosty February day, people come to the memorial on the street of Internationalist Warriors. The name of the monument is very symbolic – "Pain." With pain in their hearts, veterans remember what they have endured, strong men who have gone through terrible trials struggle to hold back the lump in their throats.
– For us, the Afghan war is pride and pain. Pride that we fulfilled our duty with honor, that we did our manly work with dignity. And this is marked by state awards. Two natives of Vitebsk region – Vasily Shcherbakov and Vasily Pimenov – were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And pain for the loss of friends. In Afghanistan, 160 of our compatriots died, and about 1,500 people who returned to their homeland passed away due to the consequences of the war. Today we bow our heads before the mothers and widows, – noted the chairman of the regional organization of the Belarusian Union of Veterans of the Afghan War, retired lieutenant colonel Valeryan Matskevich.
The rally at the memorial to the internationalist warriors was attended by a member of the Council of the Republic of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus Irina Levkovich, the leadership of Vitebsk, representatives of state structures, public organizations, youth, and residents of the regional center. The most honorable place was occupied by veterans of the Afghan war.
– Vitebsk was the first to see off soldiers and officers of the 103rd Guards Airborne Division and pilots of the 339th Military Transport Aviation Regiment to Afghanistan, and the first death notices from that distant country also came to our city. Today, Afghan warriors pass on to the younger generation the baton of patriotism and combat brotherhood, teaching by their example to be responsible for the fate of the Motherland, – emphasized the chairman of the Vitebsk City Executive Committee Aleksey Geraev.
– I was among the first four crews that mastered the legendary Il-76 in the Vitebsk 339th aviation regiment. For ten years, we delivered paratroopers and ammunition to Afghanistan on this aircraft. The heaviest cargo was the 200 – zinc coffins with the dead, which we transported from Afghanistan to various corners of the Soviet Union, – recalls retired lieutenant colonel Nikolay Statyivko.
With portraits of warriors who did not return from the Afghan war, Vitebsk cadets lined up. Many of them link their future lives with the army. Alexander Shlyakhtunov, whose uncle, paratrooper Vladimir Pilipenko, participated in combat operations, dreams of changing his cadet epaulettes for officer ones.
At the rally, everyone who did not return from battle was remembered by name. In the mournful list, there are 160 names that echoed with pain in the hearts of all who came to pay tribute to the memory of the warriors who fulfilled their international duty.