Lukashenko shared touching story of veteran whom he sat nearby at parade in Moscow
While talking to journalists after participating in the Victory Day celebrations today, President of Belarus Aleksandr Lukashenko shared the story of a veteran whom he sat nearby at the parade in Moscow, BelTA reports
In the morning of May 9th, the Head of State watched the parade on Red Square in honour of the 79th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War next to veteran Yekaterina Yevdokimova. A touching moment was captured by the camera: Aleksandr Lukashenko was rearranging the collar of her jacket. It was snowing in Moscow at that time, and it was very windy.
"She fought here [in Belarus], near Baranovichi. She shot a German and took him prisoner. As a result, a lot of people, villages were saved,” Aleksandr Lukashenko noted.
"When I came up, she recognised me and began to quickly share her memories. I listened to her. I learnt that she was 101 years old! I was sitting then and envying that woman: she was on her feet, she was quite strong. It was very cold in Moscow, it was extremely cold. Actually, that was not only about a low temperature: the Red Square resembles a pipe [in its structure], so winds are common there. I was lucky that Mirziyoyev [President of Uzbekistan] brought me a jacket; I probably would have died. It was very cold. I then looked at that woman – a hero, a patriot. She was a lady after all. Her jacket was at hand, so I put it on her and buttoned it up. I tried to make her feel warm, so that she would not freeze," the President said.
"She is 101 years old… Pray God everyone lives so long, be in such a mind and be able to walk independently,” Aleksandr Lukashenko added.
In November 1941, Yekaterina Yevdokimova went to the front as a volunteer. She was 18 years old at that time. The woman fought in the 2nd division of the air surveillance, notification and communication forces in the city of Dmitrov.
In early 1943, the division was disbanded, and Yekaterina was sent to the 2nd Belorussian Front as a signalwoman for wired communication lines.
During one of the battles, while restoring a broken connection, she came face to face with an enemy soldier. Yekaterina did not lose her head. She wounded a German and took him prisoner to the headquarters of the unit. The woman was awarded the Red Star Order for that.
Thanks to the valuable testimony of the prisoner, two villages near Baranovichi were liberated by Belarusian units with minimal losses.
