A vibrant and large-scale celebration "Vitebsk – City of Artists, Musicians, and Strong People!" dedicated to the 1050th anniversary of the founding of the northern capital took place on the banks of the Western Dvina River in Vitebsk.
The first to congratulate the citizens and guests of Vitebsk were veteran paratroopers who descended from the sky onto Millennium Square. One of the veterans of parachute sports even held the state flag of Belarus.
The Ministry of Emergency Situations (MES) employees also delighted the audience by organizing a water show. Under the Kirov Bridge, boats sped through a multi-colored waterfall, and helicopters flew in the air. Rescuers demonstrated their work in case of an emergency: they showed how they rescue people who have crashed on the water, and also collected water from the river into a special container attached to helicopters and flew to a conditional ignition source – this is how MES employees extinguish forest fires.