Lukashenko: Our memory is a shield against aggressive revanchism

At this moment, in the Brest Fortress, Chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly Igor Sergeenko is reading the address by the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Grigoryevich Lukashenko, on the occasion of the Day of National Memory of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War and the genocide of the Belarusian people.

"22.06.41 — figures burned into the memory of the Belarusian people as the most terrible date in history. The date of the invasion into the country of the Hitler army, gathered from across Europe, with the aim of conquering living space for the Nazis who declared themselves the 'master race.' This marked the beginning of large-scale cleansing of Eastern European territories, with human experiments, executions, torture, and mass killings of defenseless civilians — the elderly, women, children.

The war came to our land exactly 85 years ago. It claimed the life of every third person and shattered the fates of millions of Belarusians. Year after year, on this June morning, we remember how the Brest Fortress, fortified regions, and cities stood to the death, thwarting the plans of Nazi Germany’s blitzkrieg. We remember how the occupied republic fought for 1,132 long days, bleeding with the blood of unyielding and unbroken heroes — underground fighters, partisans, and civilians.

Our memory is a shield with which we restrain the aggression of militant revanchism. The investigation of the criminal case on the genocide of the Belarusian people is an act of just judgment over crimes that have no statute of limitations.

We, the heirs of the victors, are obliged to always defend historical truth, preserve the memory of the heroes of that war, and instill in our children immunity against ideologies of exclusivity and national superiority, teaching them to take pride in the great feat of the Soviet people, who gave present generations life, peace, and freedom.

Eternal memory to the innocent victims of the Great Patriotic War, eternal glory to the hero-victors," the address states.