Lukashenko: We Bear a Great Responsibility for Preserving the Memory of the Great Victory

The current generation bears a profound responsibility for preserving the memory of the Great Victory. This was emphasized by President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko during an interview with MTRK "Mir."

"We speak too much about our Victory, about the heroism of our people, and about the genocide against the Soviet people, against our own people. This is all true, and it is indeed right; however, how poignantly and deeply do we usually express this? After all, eighty years have passed, and only a few remain of those who experienced it, whether as children or adults. Those who fought are almost entirely gone," Lukashenko stated.

"I am still a Soviet person at heart. I have seen many who fought, those who endured that terrible ordeal, and it resonates deeply with me. This is a firm conviction of mine. Thus, I do not merely speak flippantly about 'heroism and Victory.' For me, these are profound matters. As we find ourselves in a time when only a few veterans remain, we must, excuse me, do more than just speak—we must truly feel the weight of this history in order to convey to our youth and future generations that this Victory happened and that it is something to be proud of."

He continued, "Our responsibility also lies in the fact that Belarus, more than any other republic, bore the brunt of the Nazi assault. It was virtually erased from the face of the earth. Fortunately, Belarusians are resilient people; they know how to work, endure hardships, and seek refuge in the forests. That is why we are still here. We formerly believed that one in four of our people perished. Nothing could be further from the truth: one in three perished, and we know this for certain. I fear the toll may be even greater."

The President shared that the General Prosecutor's Office is investigating a criminal case regarding the genocide of the Belarusian population during the Great Patriotic War and in the post-war period. Thanks to this work, they have uncovered information about new settlements that were obliterated by the Nazi occupiers along with their inhabitants.

"When these figures were announced ('one in four') after the war, the leadership of the country and others understood that they bore some culpability in this. Therefore, they did not want to emphasize the extent of the losses: how many had perished. I understand their reasoning. I do not criticize them; these were people who had endured hell. They wished for fewer casualties, but many lost their lives. And it was not merely 25 or 27 million—over 30 million Soviet people perished in that horrific war. Approximately the same number of Chinese and others fighting against Japanese militarism also lost their lives. But many of our own people perished as well," stressed Alexander Lukashenko. "The greatest responsibility lies in recalling what happened and making it our heritage, a part of our identity. I did not fight then, yet this is still my Victory. It belongs to the generation of people who lived in the Soviet Union and Belarus. And if you speak of it, you must bear this weighty responsibility."

During the interview, it was noted that Belarus took the brunt of the Nazi invasion at the outset of the war. Thanks to the determination of Belarusians and other nationalities, who stood their ground here, this tragedy did not reach the more distant regions of the Soviet Union.