By Viktoria Potonya: Today is a symbolic date, a day of remembrance and sorrow. At 4 a.m. on June 22, 1941, Nazi Germany’s troops launched a sudden attack on the Soviet Union without a declaration of war, violating the Non-Aggression Pact. The Brest Fortress was the first to face the enemy.
Commemorative campaigns took place at the Brest Fortress a few hours ago today to feature thousands of city residents, including veterans, regional leaders and youth. A memorial ceremony started at 4 a.m. at the Eternal Flame with observing a minute of silence, lighting candles and laying flowers. In memory of the fallen soldiers, border guards floated wreathes with candles down the river Bug. Over 20 delegations from Russia, Ukraine and Slovakia arrived in Brest to attend the event.
Over 500 members of military-historical clubs from 11 countries, including the Czech Republic and Slovakia, reenacted the key episodes of Brest Fortress defense, recreating the atmosphere of tragic resistance in the theatrical reenactment performance Invasion.
The Great Patriotic War lasted for 1418 days, taking the lives of over 27 million people.
