A commemorative sign in honor of fellow countrymen-internationalists was solemnly unveiled near the Center for Culture and Leisure in Borovka. This event is particularly relevant for the residents of Borovka, as it has held the status of a military town since Soviet times, and was saturated with military units and formations. Many soldiers and officers of these units served in Afghanistan and other hot spots. Therefore, it was important for the residents of Borovka to perpetuate the memory of those who, at one time, carried out orders and defended the interests of a great country – the USSR.
The initiators of this noble cause were Afghan war veterans from the primary organization of Borovka, headed by Sergey Razkazo. They were supported by ordinary residents and the heads of local enterprises: KUVP "Borovka", the rehabilitation center "Zhemchuzhina", and DRBU-202. The Lepel branch of the Peace Fund provided financial assistance as much as they could. The rural council leadership coordinated the actions. Gradually, money was collected for the commemorative sign and building materials. Vladimir Malyavka, Valery Vasilevsky, and other Afghan war veterans worked with shovels for several days, preparing the site and laying paving tiles.
It took a long time to finally decide on the location for the monument. Eventually, they came to the conclusion that the best place for it was the square near the Center for Culture and Leisure – the former House of Officers. On the other side of it stands a monument in honor of the partisans who distinguished themselves during the Great Patriotic War. Soldiers, defenders of different generations, faithful to their oath and orders, gave their lives for the Motherland. Now their memory is honored in stone.
At the beginning of the rally, those present honored with a moment of silence the memory of those who gave their lives in conflicts far beyond the borders of their Motherland, and who died from their wounds. The first to speak was the Deputy Chairman of the District Executive Committee, Nikolai Nikitin. In his speech, he cited quotes from the memoir book of a former enemy of the Soviet Union, a former employee of British military intelligence, who found himself in Afghanistan several years ago. To his surprise, ordinary Afghans recalled the presence of Soviet soldiers, the "shuravi," in their country as the best time in their Motherland's history. Afghanistan was torn apart by civil wars and wars against external invaders. The period of Soviet presence was the only time when someone cared not only about the war and the destruction of enemies, but also about economic development, the construction of enterprises, and the dissemination of qualified medicine and education. Even the electrification left by the "shuravi" became a distant, but warm and grateful memory for many Afghans.
The rector of the Borovo church, Father Vladimir, held a short prayer service in memory of those who died on the battlefields for the Fatherland and consecrated the monument.
Guests attended the opening: a delegation from the district organization of internationalist veterans from the city of Bereza, Brest region, where patriotic education of the younger generation is maintained at a rather high level. The Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Organization of the Belarusian Union of War Veterans in Afghanistan also arrived, who highly praised the activities of the Lepel District Organization and its chairman, Sergei Krivyal, as one of the best in the region.
After the rally concluded, an expanded meeting of the regional council of the organization of Afghan veterans was held in the assembly hall of the culture and leisure center, where many pressing and relevant issues concerning the further development and activities of the veteran movement were discussed.