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Only living Brest Fortress defender Piotr Kotelnikov turns 90
MINSK, 16 May (BelTA) - The only living defender of the Brest Fortress Piotr Kotelnikov has turned 90. Counselor of the Belarusian Embassy in Russia Vadim Senyuta came to visit the veteran to wish him happy birthday, BelTA learned from the press service of the diplomatic mission.
The diplomat wished the veteran long years, strength, good health, happiness and well-being and gave him flowers and gifts. “It is a great honor for me to congratulate you, the defender of the Brest Fortress, on behalf of our embassy, on this wonderful anniversary. I am particularly pleased to do it in the run-up to the 75th anniversary of Belarus' liberation from the Nazi invaders,” said Vadim Senyuta. “It was on the Belarusian land that you faced the brunt of the brutal aggression and never surrendered.”
In 1941 Piotr Kotelnikov, a student of the music platoon of the 44th infantry regiment, was 12 years old. “I woke up to a frightening morning that day. In the first few minutes of the war we, the students of the regiments, under the bombs and shells, rushed to the armament arsenals together with adults. But we did not get rifles. The fortress was on fire. We helped put out the fire in the casemates, barracks, warehouses, made forays for water which was in bad shortage, searched for ammunition, helped the wounded, women and children. At the end of June, a group of soldiers attempted to break out and took us with them,” the veteran recalled.
Piotr Kotelnikov did not fight on the front. He worked at a tank plant in the Urals. He dedicated his postwar life to the army. Having served 30 years he retired in the rank of colonel. He had to take part in another war, performing internationalist duty that time. He also served in the Western Group of Soviet forces in Germany. He was awarded the Order of the Great Patriotic War Second Class for the defense of the Brest Fortress and the Order of the Red Star for the internationalist duty.
Since 2006 Piotr Kotelnikov has been living in Moscow. Despite senior age and health issues, he marks 22 June in the Brest Fortress every year. He hopes to go there this year too. “My main goal is to live to see the 75th anniversary of the Victory, to share my memories with people as long as possible telling them the truth about the war. Unfortunately, some have forgotten or do not want to remember who saved the world from the Nazism. But we do remember. So do our descendants and their children! Belarusians, Russians, Ukrainians, all the peoples of the Soviet Union were the tight-knit invincible force that destroyed the fascist power. We, the sister nations of Belarus and Russia, will always be united, and the victory will always be ours,” Piotr Kotelnikov said.
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