Volfovich on nationwide subbotnik: maintaining order is our shared responsibility, like defending our country
During the nationwide subbotnik (voluntary labour day), leadership and employees of the State Secretariat of Belarus’ Security Council took part in the improvement of the memorial complex dedicated to the memory of the Soviet soldiers and partisans who died during the Great Patriotic War in the Volozhin District, BelTA reports
In his talk with journalists, State Secretary of the Security Council Aleksandr Volfovich said that when he visits the sites of past battles, he is imbued with a feeling of immense gratitude and respect for our fathers and grandfathers, thanks to whom Belarus did not submit to the enemy.
“Today, a nationwide subbotnik is taking place in all corners of our beloved country, during which almost all categories of citizens – civil servants, workers, military personnel, doctors, students, farmers – improve their territory,” Aleksandr Volfovich noted. “This has already become a good tradition in our country, and guests of Belarus are always surprised by the cleanliness of our country. However, this [cleaning up] is not only the task of housing and communal services workers. Maintaining order is our shared responsibility, like defending our country.”
According to Mr. Volfovich, Belarusians absolutely correctly perceive the need to maintain cleanliness and order in their native country. “Citizens are working today in different places: some at construction sites, others at memorial complexes, yet some are working in forest areas,” he underlined.
The State Secretary of the Security Council also spoke about the history of the memorial in the Volozhin District. “It is dedicated to Belarusian partisans and underground fighters. In 1943, the regional party committee and the district Komsomol committee were stationed here, which directed and controlled several units. A memorial was erected here to pay tribute to their heroic deed,” he explained.
Partisans and underground fighters helped the Red Army units bring Victory closer. “They fought deep in the rear, causing serious damage to the Nazi invaders. They attacked German garrisons, derailed trains, and freed prisoners from concentration camps. This is a heart-stirring memory, and Belarus cherishes this memory in a special way,” he is convinced.
Aleksandr Volfovich drew attention to the fact that issues dealing with historical memory and its protection are included in the draft National Security Concept among Belarus’ strategic interests on a par with ensuring sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity, and the inviolability of the constitutional order. “Indeed, protecting historical memory is our strategic interest. Generations need to be educated on this memory. As our President says, the most precious thing our country has is peace and security. To cherish and appreciate this, we need to remember what happened 80 years ago on the territory of our country,” he stressed.
The State Secretariat of Belarus’ Security Council will select memorials that are located at a distance from Minsk and other cities to put in order. “We see that here the monuments are clean and in order – maintained by local authorities and residents. However, when other people come here, local residents feel that they are not alone in these undertakings. Most importantly, the State Secretariat came here with their families and children, enabling youngsters to see how their parents treat such sacred things. This is an opportunity to bow to the memory of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers. My grandfather went through the entire Great Patriotic War from 1941 to 1945, being the deputy chief for political affairs of an infantry company. He was awarded several orders. Therefore, our family greatly honours the memory of the people who fought for the freedom and independence of our country,” summed up the State Secretary of the Security Council.
