By Elena Bormotova: On the eve of the professional holiday of security forces, a special exhibition opened in the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War. The exhibition is devoted solely to the activities of special groups of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs during the war.
The activity of security officers in the occupied territory of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War is something that is not much discussed, and few people know about it anything. However, special groups and task forces set up by the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs were at the forefront of the partisan movement in Belarus. The first partisan groups were formed from the personnel of the People's Commissariat for Internal Affairs, and they were engaged in battle just a few weeks after the war began. 161 groups of this kind were active in the territory of Belarus. They set up about 200 intelligence groups. These figures are not precise, though. Some estimate the number stands at about 500.
The exhibition focuses only on one period in the activities of special services – the Great Patriotic War. The emphasis is placed on personal items, weapons and documents of the people who participated in the underground resistance movement. Objects that had earlier been stored in the funds are now presented to the public. All the military rarities, which are presented at the exhibition, can not be seen in the Museum's permanent exhibition.
