At the event held at the Hero Fortress of Brest, the site of the first blow of Nazi Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union, Lukashenko’s message also emphasized that there will always be pride in the Soviet soldiers who bequeathed life, peace, and freedom to future generations.

The heroic resistance of the Red Army that thwarted the fascist plans for a blitzkrieg was also remembered.

Its defenders, completely isolated, held the fortress for a month, far longer than any other European nation had withstood the German war machine.

Vyacheslav Volodin, Chairman of the State Duma (Lower House of Russian Parliament), stated that soldiers and officers from Brest died but did not surrender, and did everything possible to defend their homeland from the fascist occupier.

At the tribute ceremony for the 85th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War, delegations from 16 countries participating in the 2nd International Union State Forum, sponsored by the parliaments of Belarus and Russia, which started in Brest, laid wreaths at the eternal flame in memory of the Soviet defenders.

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