A bust monument to twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal Ivan Bagramyan, has been unveiled in Horadok, reports BELTA correspondent.
A bust monument to twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal Ivan Bagramyan, has been unveiled in Horadok, reports BELTA correspondent.
The monument is located at the intersection of Bagramyan and Proletarskaya streets. The grand opening ceremony was attended by representatives of regional and local authorities, the Marshal's grandson Ivan Sergeevich, his grandnephew Khristofor Bagramov, as well as the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to Belarus Oleg Esayan, and the Armenian community from various cities of Belarus and Russia.
The sculpture weighs over 200 kg and is cast in bronze. The project authors are sculptor Spartak Arutyunyan and architect, Dean of the Architectural Faculty of BNTU Armen Sardarov. Financial assistance for the creation of the bust monument was provided by the Armenian diaspora in Belarus with the support of the "ANIV" Foundation for the Development and Support of Armenian Studies and the Horadok District Executive Committee. The act of acceptance and transfer (donation) of the bust monument to Marshal Ivan Bagramyan was signed in the latter's building.
During the opening, the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Council of Deputies Vladimir Terentyev noted the symbolic significance of the monument's installation coinciding with the seventy-fifth anniversary of the liberation of Horadok District from Nazi invaders.
"The unveiling of the bust monument in Horadok is not accidental. In November 1943, Bagramyan was appointed commander of the 1st Baltic Front. His first task was to eliminate the so-called Horadok salient. From December 13 to 31, 1943, the Horadok military operation was carried out. Thanks to it, over 1,200 settlements were liberated, including those in Horadok District. Ivan Khristoforovich proved himself not only as an outstanding military strategist but also as a humane commander and leader who was not indifferent to the aspirations and problems of the local residents of the liberated territories," emphasised the head of the region's deputy corps.
Vladimir Terentyev added that May 19 is celebrated as Pioneer Friendship Day. And in the post-war years, under Bagramyan's patronage, the game "Zarnitsa" was held, in which many boys and girls of the Soviet Union participated during their pioneer years. The head of the deputy corps also recalled that two years ago, on Belarus Independence Day, a solemn opening of a memorial plaque to Ivan Bagramyan took place in Vitebsk.
During the opening ceremony, the Ambassador of Armenia to Belarus, Oleg Esayan, thanked everyone involved in the creation and installation of the bust monument. He emphasized that the memory of the Great Patriotic War is sacredly preserved on Belarusian soil. The Ambassador also highlighted the beauty of Horadok, noting that the monument to Bagramyan would further adorn the district center.
In a conversation with a BELTA correspondent, the Marshal's grandson, Ivan Sergeevich, shared his memories of his grandfather, noting that his grandfather did not like to talk much about the war, but sometimes shared warm moments. "In 1943, when he commanded the 11th Guards Army, a boy named Afanasy, an orphan, was found in one of the villages in the Bryansk region. My grandfather took a liking to him, and he became a 'son of the regiment.' After the war, my grandfather interceded for the boy to be admitted to the Suvorov School. Then he grew up, graduated from a military academy, and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. Afanasy often visited us and called my grandfather his second father," the grandson said.
The Bagramyan family honors the memory of their relative and keeps various relics of the Marshal, including front-line letters and those written in peacetime. In December last year, the book "Marshal Bagramyan" was published for the 120th anniversary of his birth, and a photo album about him was released recently.
"My grandfather always had great sympathy for Belarus and visited often. Moreover, for his participation in the liberation of the country, he received his first Hero of the Soviet Union star. I remember that in September 1980, the Central Headquarters of the All-Union Campaign of Komsomol members and youth along the routes of revolutionary, combat, and labor glory of the Soviet people was held in Minsk. I accompanied my grandfather then, and I remember his warm communication with Masherov," the grandson added.
The solemn wreath-laying ceremony was accompanied by a military orchestra. The Armenian delegation also participated in the solemn ceremony of admitting schoolchildren of Horadok district into the Pioneers and laid flowers at the "Immortalitу" memorial, where over 5,000 Red Army soldiers who died during the liberation of Horadok district are buried.