Today, May 8, a dialogue platform was held at the Belarusian National Technical University as part of the patriotic event "Immortal Glory of the Great Victory." The speakers were Nadezhda Popkova, Deputy Director General for Ideological Work at the BNTU Polytechnic Scientific and Technical University, Secretary of the BNTU Public Association "Belaya Rus," and Timur Matyushinetz, Vice-Rector for Ideological and Educational Work and Chairman of the BNTU Public Association "Belaya Rus."
Timur Matyushinetz set a poignant tone for the entire conversation. He emphasized that historical facts are inextricably linked with the destinies of specific individuals.
– This dialogue platform is dedicated to the heroes of the Victory." "Perhaps to your grandfathers and great-grandfathers, who, at your age, literally with weapons in hand or with a medical kit, defended your right to live, to develop our Republic of Belarus, to create, to create, and to remember, – the vice-rector addressed the students.
Timur Matyushinetz shared his family story as an example. His grandfather, originally from Ukraine, served in a cavalry regiment, was wounded, and captured. After escaping with his fellow soldiers, he joined a partisan detachment near Minsk, where he celebrated Victory Day and his future wife. After the war, they worked together as school teachers: his grandmother taught mathematics, and his grandfather taught physics, while also leading a Pioneer detachment. His second grandmother also served throughout the war and celebrated Victory Day in Poland with the rank of major in the medical service, escorting prisoners to reconstruction work. The vice-rector noted that the generation of victors was modest and kept many details to themselves, so he learned many details from official documents on the "Partisans of Belarus" portal. He urged the students not to dwell solely on the present, but to thoroughly research their family history using available archives.
– Every third Belarusian gave their life so that our republic would remain independent and the Belarusian people would have the right to exist. So that young people would have a future, so that you could start families and remember your past, – Timur Matyushinets emphasized.
Nadezhda Popkova discussed the main causes of the war with the audience, highlighting the harsh terms of the Treaty of Versailles, the policy of appeasement, and Poland's destructive role in the pre-war period. The students examined the main stages of the confrontation, the enemy's disposition on the eve of the invasion, and the significance of Order No. 227 of the USSR People's Commissar of Defense "On Measures to Strengthen Discipline and Order in the Red Army and Prohibit Unauthorized Retreats from Combat Positions" and the large-scale Operation Bagration. These tragic chapters of history resonated particularly with the audience.
Nadezhda Popkova cited the horrific losses: 27 million Soviet citizens killed, cities destroyed, and thousands of villages burned in Belarus. The response to the occupation was a large-scale partisan movement, uniting hundreds of thousands of fighters on Belarusian soil.
Special attention was given to the economics of Victory Day and the labor heroism of the Soviet people. The evacuation of factories to the east of the country was accompanied by the incredible dedication of ordinary people, women, and teenagers, who exceeded production quotas by dozens of times. Soviet engineers, who created the weapons of Victory, also made a significant contribution. Concluding the historical section, Nadezhda Popkova recalled the Nuremberg Trials, which forever condemned the horrific ideology of Nazism and recognized the actions of the invaders as a crime against humanity.
The memory of this great feat lives on in the personal stories of each family, inspiring new generations to creative work for the good of their country.
