On March 18, Vitebsk / BelTA correspondent /. Veterans of the Navy handed over two memorial plaques to the residents of Vitebsk today in honor of two submarine sailors - natives of the Vitebsk region, Hero of the Soviet Union Vice-Admiral Yegor Tomko and Hero of the Soviet Union Captain First Rank Samuil Bogorad, BelTA reports. The solemn ceremony is timed to coincide with the Submariner's Day, which is celebrated in the Russian Federation on March 19. Belarusian and Russian Navy veterans celebrate this holiday together and are holding the "Homeland of Naval Heroes" event in Vitebsk as part of the joint socio-patriotic project "Naval Brotherhood is Indestructible!". The event began with the laying of wreaths and flowers at the monument on Victory Square and a rally. At its conclusion, a festive concert "Naval Brotherhood is Indestructible!" dedicated to Belarusian submariners will be held for guests and participants of the project. During the Great Patriotic War, 9 Baltic submariners were awarded the highest honor, the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union. One of them was Samuil Bogorad from Vitebsk, commander of the submarine "Shch-310". Under his command, the submarine made three combat patrols, sinking eight ships and vessels of the German fascist invaders. Another native of the Vitebsk region, Yegor Tomko, went through all the ranks of officer service in the front-line units of the Navy, from lieutenant to rear admiral, from the initial officer position to commander of a division of multipurpose nuclear submarines with cruise missiles on board. For his heroism shown in saving the crew and the submarine, which was in an accident in November 1978, Yegor Tomko was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. In February of this year, the memory of submariners - natives of Belarus was honored in St. Petersburg as part of the project. Today, about 200,000 people live in Belarus who served in the USSR Navy units in different years. From 1945 to 1992, about a million Belarusians served in the Navy. 74 Belarusian admirals dedicated their lives to the Navy. 26 branches of the Belarusian Union of Naval Sailors operate in Belarus, which has over 3,000 members.