On September 20, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. The Polotsk City Executive Committee and the Polotsk City Council of Deputies have supported the initiative of the city branch of the public association "Belarusian Peace Foundation" to hold the "Peace Watch" event on the International Day of Peace on September 21. During this event, funds will be collected to perpetuate the memory of the victims of fascism, as reported to BELTA correspondent by the Chairman of the Polotsk City Executive Committee, Alexander Poznyak. All funds collected on this day will be directed towards perpetuating the memory of the fallen and the creation of the "Urochishche Peski" memorial complex for the victims of fascism. "Many good deeds are done on the Polotsk land by people working together. By collecting fragments of history bit by bit, we preserve the memory for our children and grandchildren," emphasized the mayor. Residents of Friedrichshafen, Germany, a twin city of Polotsk, have joined the fundraising for the creation of the memorial. They intend to raise approximately 150,000 euros, added Alexander Poznyak. According to archival data from the Polotsk Regional Extraordinary Commission for accounting for damage and investigating the atrocities of the German-fascist invaders and their accomplices, the Peski area is the site of mass extermination of 40,000 to 150,000 prisoners of war and civilians. In 1993-1994, excavations were carried out at this site by a specialized search battalion of the Ministry of Defence of Belarus, which confirmed the burial of over 38,000 people. However, the exact number of those buried has not been confirmed to date. A design proposal for the memorial has been developed. -0-

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