Vitebsk marked the Day of Remembrance of Internationalist Soldiers
February 17, 2025
The date February 15, 1989, when the last units of Soviet troops withdrew from Afghanistan, is inscribed in the country's history as a joyous and sorrowful day. It is a holiday with tears in their eyes, which the past decades have not dried.
Every year, on a frosty February day, people come to the memorial on Voinev-Internatsionalistov Street. The monument's name, "Pain," is very symbolic. Veterans recall their experiences with pain in their hearts; strong men who went through terrible trials struggle to hold back a lump in their throats.
– For us, the Afghan war is pride and pain. Pride for having honorably fulfilled our duty, for having done a man's job with dignity. And this is marked by state awards. Two natives of the Vitebsk region, Vasily Shcherbakov and Vasily Pimenov, were awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union. And pain for the loss of friends. 160 of our countrymen died in Afghanistan, and about 1.5 thousand people who returned to their homeland have died due to the consequences of the war. Today, we bow our heads to the mothers and widows, – noted Valerian Matskevich, Chairman of the regional organization of the Belarusian Union of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan, retired lieutenant colonel.