By Victoria Potonya: The morning of 22 June in the memorial complex is met in a special way. On 22 June, 1941, at dawn the Brest Fortress faced the Nazi invasion. The 77th anniversary of the event is commemorated in Belarus these days. Without declaring war, the Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Border guards and defenders of the citadel were the first to face the attack of the enemy.
To honour the memory of the fallen soldiers and remember their courage, thousands of people came to the memorial complex, including foreign delegations from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Ukraine. They laid wreaths and fresh flowers. Delegations and participants of auto-runs also came there to remember those who "died, but did not give up".
Vladimir Chernenko, a participant of the requiem (Russia): "Our delegation has come here for the third year in a row to commemorate our fathers and grandfathers who have defended our land for us. The Soviet Union has put 27 million lives on the altar of this Victory, and I think that this must never be forgotten. "
At dawn, a traditional reconstruction of the events of the first days of the war took place at the Kobrin fortress. Thousands of spectators attended the event. The key episodes of the defence of the Brest Fortress were recreated by military-historical clubs from 11 countries. When writing the script, the organizers relied on memories of veterans and witnesses.
Sergei Petrov, a participant of the reconstruction event (Russia): "We read books about this, we watch movies about this defence, and it is a great honour to participate in this event today."
This year, several more episodes were added to the reconstruction. Over 500 people took part in it on the battlefield. The event involved pyrotechnics, motorcycles, armoured cars, and even a truck fuelled by firewood.
