On June 15, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo – BELTA /. The memory of Captain Alexander Kazarsky, a hero of the Russo-Turkish campaign and commander of the legendary brig "Mercury", is honored today in his homeland in Dubrovno, the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee's Ideological Work Department informed BELTA correspondent. On the eve of the renowned naval officer's birthday, a memorial rally will be held in Dubrovno, and Crimean pines, donated by pupils of a Sevastopol school where a monument stands in honor of the captain's feat and his vessel, will be planted. Alexander Kazarsky was born in Dubrovno on June 16, 1797, into the family of a retired provincial secretary. A priest of the Dubrovno Orthodox parish taught Alexander literacy, while a local Catholic priest taught him mathematics, Latin, and French. Through the patronage of his godfather, at the age of 12, Alexander Kazarsky was enrolled in the Black Sea Navigator School in Mykolaiv. From then on, his life was connected with the Russian Navy. In 1829, the 18-gun brig "Mercury", under Kazarsky's command, achieved victory in a battle against two Turkish ships of the line. This is one of the most brilliant episodes of the Russo-Turkish War of 1828-1829, demonstrating the spirit, courage, and skill of Russian sailors. Alexander Pushkin and Pyotr Vyazemsky were friends of the brilliant officer. Alexander Kazarsky died on his birthday in 1833 in Mykolaiv. Contemporaries of the aide-de-camp to the suite of Nicholas I believed he was poisoned. Local residents and guests from Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Smolensk, Minsk, and Vitebsk, all those interested in and cherishing the naval history of Belarus, will gather in Dubrovno to pay tribute to their famous countryman. The event is part of the military-patriotic Russian-Belarusian project "Naval Brotherhood – Indivisible". The project is organized through the joint efforts of the All-Russian Public Organization of Marines "Typhoon", DOSAAF of Belarus, the Saint Petersburg branch of the Russian Creative Union of Cultural Workers, the Military Information Agency of the Armed Forces of Belarus "Vayar", the Belarusian Union of Officers, the Belarusian Fund "Afghan Memory", and the Union of Navy Veterans and Submariners of Saint Petersburg. The project aims to train young sailors and shipbuilders from Belarus in Russia, establish a corps of midshipmen, and develop naval programs for the needs of the Union Fleet. Within the framework of this project, a monument in honor of Belarusian sailors is also planned to be opened in Minsk. -0-

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