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A solemn rally "Memory of Generations" dedicated to the unveiling of memorial plaques on the obelisk to fallen soldiers was held in the village of Osinovka, Shapyino Village Council, Vitebsk District.

– In the northern region, special attention is paid to perpetuating the memory of fallen defenders of the Fatherland. There are over 1.5 thousand military burial sites in the Vitebsk region, containing the remains of 416 thousand soldiers and commanders, with almost 200 thousand being unknown, – emphasized Vladimir Terentyev, Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies, Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Organization of the RPO "Belaya Rus".

– Thanks to enthusiasts, searchers, servicemen of the 52nd Separate Specialized Battalion, and youth, thousands of names of those who died defending the Motherland from the Nazi invaders are being recovered from oblivion year after year.

Over 800 soldiers are buried in the mass grave in the village of Osinovka. Today, this list has been supplemented with 159 names of Red Army soldiers and officers who gave their lives for the liberation of the Motherland from the Nazi invaders. More than 50 rifle divisions, not to mention tank, artillery, cavalry, aviation, and engineering units and formations, participated in the liberation of the Vitebsk region from the Nazi invaders. This data indicates fierce, persistent battles that lasted for almost nine months. The 277th Rifle Roslavl Red Banner Order of Suvorov and Kutuzov Division, commanded by Major General Semyon Gladyshev, also took an active part in the liberation of the Vitebsk region, including in the Bagration Belarusian Strategic Offensive Operation.

At different times, units of the division participated in the liberation of settlements in Oktyabrsky and Shapyino Village Councils: Garkava, Dribino, Dymanovo, Zazby, Zarechye, Kosachi, Lobany, Lyuchkovsky Crossing, Lyakhi, Maklaki, Osinovka (liberated in June 1944 during the Vitebsk-Orsha Offensive Operation), Starina, Sverchki. After the liberation of the Vitebsk region, the 277th Rifle Division continued its glorious combat path westward. The division was part of the 5th Army of the 3rd Belorussian Front.

The significance of the work carried out by caring individuals engaged in the search for soldiers and partisans who perished during the war is difficult to overestimate. Vasily Shatkov, Head of the Gas Supply and Gas Consumption Accounting Department at UP "Vitebskoblgaz," is a renowned searcher whom people turn to for help when trying to establish the burial places of their loved ones. Vasily Petrovich has identified 31 soldiers buried in this mass grave. This is meticulous and arduous work. It requires studying a large volume of information, including combat reports of units, award documents, and comparing them with existing lists of military burials near these combat operations.

– Appreciate the feat accomplished by our grandfathers and great-grandfathers, – emphasized Vasily Shatkov, addressing the younger generation. – Visit this place more often to bow and honor the memory of the Fatherland's defenders who died for the freedom and independence of our Motherland.

The memorial slabs with the names of the heroes were made on the initiative of ROO "Belaya Rus" UP "Vitebskoblgaz" with the support of the Vitebsk Regional Organization of ROO "Belaya Rus."

Photo by Dmitry OSIPOV.