Today is a special day for the residents of the agro-town of Mezhevo, Orsha District, and especially for the staff and pupils of the Mezhevo Secondary School. The educational institution has been named after the Hero of the Soviet Union, Nikolai Ivanovich Olkhovsky.

For the residents of the agro-town of Mezhevo, Orsha District, and especially for the staff and pupils of the Mezhevo Secondary School, today is a special day. The educational institution has been named after the Hero of the Soviet Union, Nikolai Ivanovich Olkhovsky. A ceremony dedicated to the unveiling of a memorial plaque to a fellow countryman was held in honour of this event. The Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, took part in it.

Addressing those present at the ceremony, the head of the region's parliamentary corps noted that the memory of the historical events that took place in our country is and will remain alive in each of us. And we have no right to forget such a heroic and tragic page of our history as the Great Patriotic War.

– It cost our people a great deal, – said Vladimir Terentyev. – This includes 1.3 million Belarusians who fought on the fronts. There were 384,000 partisans and 70,000 underground fighters who did everything they could in the rear to bring Victory closer. About half a million fascists were destroyed by our partisans, 11,000 trains were derailed, 948 headquarters were destroyed, and 1,355 tanks and armoured vehicles were destroyed. At the same time, it is also a tragic page. More than 3 million residents of Belarus who were in the occupied territory were killed. We are talking about the fact that today, in order to gain liberation, more than 410,000 Soviet soldiers and officers perished on our Vitebsk land. The fact that we are unveiling a memorial plaque today in honour of naming the school after the Hero of the Soviet Union, Nikolai Ivanovich Olkhovsky – a man who was born here, in the agro-town of Mezhevo, is significant. He fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a pilot and fought with dignity on the fronts during the Great Patriotic War. And it is very important to remember such fellow countrymen – those who brought us Victory.

Source: vitebsk-region.gov.by