The festival "We Cannot Forget These Roads" dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the breakthrough of the enemy blockade by partisans of the Polotsk-Lepel zone in the Ushachi district during the Great Patriotic War and the 45th anniversary of the opening of the "Proryv" (Breakthrough) memorial complex will be held on May 4 in the region, the Ushachi District Executive Committee informed a BELTA correspondent.
The grand opening of the festival will take place on the central square of the urban settlement. Afterwards, a motorcade will proceed to a rally at the "Proryv" memorial complex. It was here, in the vicinity of the villages of Plina and Paperino, on May 5, 1944, that partisans broke the deadly blockade ring. At the memorial, rally participants will honor the memory of the fallen. There will be demonstration performances by the Orsha UNESCO military-patriotic club "Rusichi", a military band from the Zaslonovo military unit in the Lepel district, and creative groups from Polotsk and Ushachi. A field kitchen will be operational. As part of the celebration of the anniversary date, guests will also open a football pitch at the sports and recreation complex in Ushachi. The commemorative event will conclude with a concert.
The "Proryv" memorial complex in the Ushachi district is considered one of the most significant works of monumental art of the BSSR. It was opened in June 1974 at the site of the breakthrough of the enemy blockade on May 5, 1944, by partisans of the Polotsk-Lepel zone, 7 km from Ushachi. Here, 16 partisan brigades led by the future Hero of the Soviet Union Vladimir Lobanok broke out of encirclement and fought the enemy until the arrival of Soviet Army units. More than 15,000 civilians were also able to escape with the partisans. In 2015, reconstruction of the memorial began, and the restored complex was solemnly opened on May 9, 2016.