Press releases

The relay race was solemnly handed over from the Belarusian border service to the Russian border service at the Friendship Mound at the junction of the borders of Belarus, Russia, and Latvia. Deputy Chairman of the State Border Committee of Belarus, Major-General Vladimir Moiseyenko handed over the symbol of the victory relay race — a cup with the words “Victory 70” — to Major-General Alexander Murzin, chief of the Pskov Oblast division of the Border Service Department of the Federal Security Service of Russia. After that a rally took place at the Friendship Mound. Taking part in the event were Pskov Oblast Governor Andrei Turchak, Deputy Chairman of the Vitebsk Oblast Executive Committee Vladimir Terentyev, representatives of municipal authorities, the army, veterans, young people, the clergy.

The Polotsk border unit took over the relay race from the Smorgon border unit on 16 February. A rally took place in Polotsk on 18 February and flowers were laid at the monument to liberators of Polotsk.

The relay race began simultaneously in the Belarusian city of Brest and the Russian city of Murmansk on 2 February. The decision to arrange the relay race was made by the Council of border guard commanders of the CIS member states. The relay race will cross nine countries along the two routes that will converge. The total distance of the relay race will exceed 60,000km.

The relay race team of the Belarusian border service had gone through border outposts of the border groups of Brest, Gomel, Grodno, and Smorgon as well as border outposts of the border units of Pinsk, Mozyr, Lida, and Polotsk. The website of the State Border Committee of Belarus continuously tracked the advancement of the relay race across the country.

The relay race will end at Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow on 28 May, Border Guard Day. The symbols that have been made specifically for the event will be stored in the central museum of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and the central border service museum of the Federal Security Service of Russia.

Taking part in the relay race are school students, war veterans, young people, local residents. The border service of Mongolia takes part in the event as well. A relay race will be arranged in Mongolia as a token of respect for the Soviet nation that secured the Great Victory.

Arranging relay races to honor the memory of the Victory soldiers is a tradition established by border service agencies.