The President of Belarus sent an address to his compatriots on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War and the Genocide of the Belarusian People
Monday, 22 June 2026
June 22, 1941—numbers seared into the memory of the Belarusian people as the most horrific date in history. The date of the invasion of the country by Hitler's army, gathered from all over Europe, with the goal of conquering living space for the Nazis, who had declared themselves a "master race." This was the beginning of a large-scale mopping up of Eastern European territory, complete with human experimentation, executions, torture, and the mass murder of defenseless residents—the elderly, women, and children.
War came to our land exactly 85 years ago. It took the life of every third person and ruined the lives of millions of Belarusians. Year after year, on this June morning, we remember how the Brest Fortress, fortified areas and cities fought to the death, thwarting the plans for the lightning offensive of Nazi Germany. We remember how the occupied republic fought for 1,132 long days, bleeding from unconquered and unbroken underground heroes, partisans and civilians.
Our memory is the shield with which we contain the aggression of militant revanchism. The criminal investigation into the genocide of the Belarusian people is an act of fair trial for crimes that have no statute of limitations."
We, the heirs of the victors, are obligated to always defend the historical truth, preserve the memory of the heroes of that war, and instill in our children immunity to the ideologies of national exclusivity and superiority, teaching them to be proud of the great feat of the Soviet people, who gave life, peace, and freedom to the present generation.
We cherish the memory of the innocent victims of the Great Patriotic War, eternal glory to the victorious heroes.
