Medal and tears of memory. A 90-year-old former concentration camp prisoner was honored in Vitebsk
May 2, 2025
– We congratulate you on the upcoming bright holiday, Victory Day! You had to endure a lot during the war and work for the good of the Motherland after its end. Thank you for this, we wish you good health and peace! – said the head of the administration of the Pervomaysky district of Vitebsk, Yevgeny Semenychev, addressing Maria Vasilyevna, presenting her with financial assistance and the jubilee medal "80 Years of Victory in the Great Patriotic War."
The former prisoner of Nazi concentration camps also received gifts and congratulations on this day from representatives of public associations and pioneers from educational institutions of the Pervomaysky district of Vitebsk.
– It is pleasant that you do not forget me. The main thing is peace and the health of loved ones, I know this because I have seen a lot in my life, – Maria Belyaeva addressed the guests. – When the war began, I was 6 years old. Of the seven children, I was the eldest, so I helped take care of the younger ones. I was also a nanny to my mother's sister, helping my aunt look after her young son in another village. It so happened that we were driven to Germany, and I was separated from my mother for several years.
After returning to her native village of Tsálovichi, Surazhsky district, Vitebsk region, in 1945, Masha went to school. After finishing 7 grades, she began working as a milk receiver in the village of Dubrovo. After getting married in 1957, she moved to Vitebsk, where she worked as a cutter at JSC "Klassika of the Fashion Industry" for 33 years. For her long-term work, she was awarded the title of "Veteran of Labor."