Press releases

MINSK, 11 May (BelTA) – The Moldovan soldiers who died in battles for liberation of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War were commemorated in Minsk on 11 May, BelTA has learned.

A ceremony in the Masyukovshchina memorial complex was attended by Minsk Mayor Andrei Shorets, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Moldova to Belarus Victor Sorocean, representatives of the administration of Tsentralny District of Minsk, the diplomatic corps, non-governmental associations, the Moldovan diaspora, labor collectives.

“Today's event is an opportunity to remember the fallen heroes, the combat brotherhood of the Belarusian and Moldavian peoples, and the common victory, Andrei Shorets noted. For his part, Victor Sorocean expressed gratitude to the Minsk City Hall for the assistance in arranging this event. The Great Patriotic War has left a blood trail on the Belarusian land, and all the peoples of the Soviet Union defended their Homeland side by side, he said. To date, 52 names of the Moldovan soldiers killed in the battles on the Belarusian land have been established. The soil from their graves has been placed in a capsule to be put in the crypt of the Memorial Church of All Saints in Minsk.

Those in attendance laid flowers to the mass grave, observed a minute of silence in memory of the fallen soldiers.

The event was organized by the Embassy of Moldova in Belarus and the Minsk City Hall with the support of the parish of the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin. About 400,000 Moldovan natives fought in the Red Army; 250,000 were decorated with awards for courage and valor; 19 became heroes of the Soviet Union.