A significant event took place at military cemetery No. 2406 in the village of Kholomerie, Virovlyansky Selsoviet, Gorodok District – the reburial of the remains of 27 fallen soldiers. This important event served as a reminder of the invaluable contribution of those who gave their lives for peace and freedom. The event was attended by Vladimir Terentyev, Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies.
Local residents, regional and district leadership, and leaders of public associations and organisations gathered at the military cemetery to express their gratitude and appreciation for the self-sacrifice and bravery of those who sacrificed their lives for our safety. A minute of silence in honour of the fallen filled the air with poignant nostalgia and immense pride.
In his address to the event participants, Vladimir Terentyev noted: "We are here to pay tribute to those who gave their lives for our freedom and peace. These soldiers, unknown to us, left an invaluable legacy – peace and freedom. Civilians, children, and the elderly fell victim to fascist oppression, but their sacrifice was not in vain, as we will certainly preserve the peace bequeathed to us."
Military personnel, including 14 partisans, numbering 1491, are buried in the mass grave No. 2406 in the village of Kholomerie. In 1971, a monument was erected over the mass grave, and the remains of fallen soldiers from 41 nearby settlements were reburied there. The reburial of the remains was conducted with military honours and great reverence for the fallen, symbolising deep gratitude and respect for those who sacrificed their future for the independence of their Motherland.
Vladimir Terentyev emphasised the importance of preserving the memory of the fallen and their sacrifices so that future generations can inherit the virtues of peace and freedom. His words, "the memory of their valour must always be with us," resonated as a call to preserve and pass on this spirit to future generations.
Upon the request of the administration of the Republic of Mari El, Russian Federation, the remains of Guards Senior Sergeant Moskvichev S. F. were transferred to his homeland for reburial. Relatives of Moskvichev S. F. (nephew Yevgeny Vitalievich Moskvichev from Yoshkar-Ola, Republic of Mari El) participated in the ceremony, to whom the remains and personal belongings were handed over.
Sergeant of the Guard, 3rd Mortar Company, Moskvichev S.F., was nominated for the medal "For Courage" in August 1943 for demonstrating bravery and courage in battles against the German-fascist invaders. In the battle for the village of Vetrovo (Oryol Region), the crew commanded by Comrade Moskvichev destroyed 3 enemy machine-gun nests and up to 10 German soldiers and officers. Moskvichev S.F. died on the third day of the Gorodok Offensive Operation (13.12.1943 – 31.12.1943). From the combat log of the 83rd Guards Rifle Division for 15–16.12.1943: "The 83rd Guards Rifle Division broke the enemy's resistance and, within 24 hours on December 15, captured 14 settlements in the Gorodok District, reaching the Obol River line. On the night of December 15-16, the enemy, with forces of 200 men and 13 tanks, counterattacked the 248th Guards Rifle Regiment (in which Moskvichev S.F. fought), as a result of which they pushed it back to the western edge of the forest, 1 km west of the village of Laptevka."
On the same day, the remains of 6 Red Army servicemen, recovered during search operations in the area of the village of Petrovo (formerly Kholyavki), Bychikha rural council, were reburied at the military cemetery No. 4372 in the village of Mekhovoye, Bychikha rural council. The names of two Red Army soldiers remained unknown; the presumed names of three of the deceased were identified. During the excavation, a medallion was found belonging to Red Army soldier Petr Vasilyevich Ilyin, a native of Yaroslavl Region. Red Army soldier Ilyin P.V., a mortarman of the 556th Mortar Regiment of the 4th Shock Army, died in offensive battles on December 16, 1943, at the beginning of the Gorodok Offensive Operation, and was initially buried in the village of Kholyavki, then part of Mekhovsky District. His comrades Anvar Suleymanov, Vasily Timofeyevich Bayanov, and Fyodor Andreyevich Agafontsev also died on this day. It is presumed they were all buried together in a mass grave. Their names are immortalised on the memorial plaques of the military burial site No. 4372 in the village of Mekhovoye, Bychikha rural council.
— We have gathered here to honour the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom and security, — said the Head of the Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, in his address to the ceremony participants. — These soldiers have left us an incredible legacy – the freedom and peace that we have the honour to experience and preserve today.
The military cemetery in the village of Mekhovoye is the burial site of 815 servicemen, including two Heroes of the Soviet Union: Captain Ivan Nikolaevich Antonov, commander of a tank company (killed on 16.12.1943), and Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Martynovich Rudyk, commander of a tank company (killed on 16.12.1943). In 1959, a monument was erected at the cemetery, and the remains of fallen soldiers from 59 nearby villages were reburied there. In 1989, the cemetery underwent reconstruction.
Search operations in the village of Petrovo (Kholyavki) were conducted by representatives of the Vitebsk Regional Historical and Patriotic Search Club "Plamya" (Chairman Lychokholat M.A.), students from the search and research patriotic detachment "Poisk" of Polotsk Secondary School No. 1, cadets from the Polotsk Cadet School, and Ruslan Stelmakh, a student from the I. Antonov Bychikha Secondary School. All participants in the search operations will take part in the ceremony and will be awarded letters of gratitude from the Chairman of the Gorodok District Executive Committee.
Relatives of Pyotr Ilyin, residing in the city of Myshkin, Yaroslavl Region, Russian Federation, have been located. The grandson and great-grandson of the Red Army soldier participated in the reburial ceremony of the remains. They were presented with the medallion of their fallen relative.
vitebsk-region.gov.by
