Miory Regional Executive Committee
A significant event took place at Military Cemetery No. 2406 in the village of Kholomer'e, Viroulya Rural Council, Gorodok District – the reburial of the remains of 27 fallen soldiers. This important occasion reminded us of the invaluable contribution made by those who gave their lives in the name of peace and freedom. The Chairman of the Regional Council of Deputies, Vladimir Terentyev, participated in the event.
Local residents, regional and district authorities, and leaders of public associations and organizations gathered at the military cemetery to express their gratitude and appreciation for the self-sacrifice and courage of those who gave their lives in the name of our security. A minute of silence in honor of the fallen filled the air with profound nostalgia and boundless pride.
In his address to the event participants, Vladimir Terentyev noted: “We are here to pay tribute to those who gave their lives in the name of our freedom and peace. These soldiers, unknown to us, left behind an invaluable legacy – peace and freedom. Civilian residents, children, and the elderly fell victim to fascist oppression, but their sacrifice was not in vain, for we will certainly preserve the peace bequeathed to us.”
In common grave No. 2406 in the village of Kholomer'e are buried 1,491 servicemen, including 14 partisans. In 1971, a monument was erected over the common grave, and the remains of fallen warriors from 41 nearby settlements were reinterred. The reburial of the remains was conducted with full military honors and great reverence for the fallen, serving as a symbol of deep gratitude and respect for those who sacrificed their futures so that the Motherland could remain independent.
Vladimir Terentyev emphasized the importance of preserving the memory of the fallen and their sacrifices, so that future generations could inherit the values of peace and freedom. His statement that “the memory of their valor should always be with us” resonated as a call to preserve and pass on this spirit to descendants in the future.
By request of the Administration of the Republic of Mari El of the Russian Federation, the remains of Guards Senior Sergeant Moskvichev S. F. were transferred to his homeland for reburial. Relatives of Moskvichev S. F. took part in the ceremony (nephew Evgeny Vitalievich Moskvichev from Yoshkar-Ola, Republic of Mari El), to whom the remains and personal belongings were handed over.
Guards Senior Sergeant of the 3rd mortar company Moskvichev S.F. was recommended for the award of the Medal "For Courage" in August 1943 for having demonstrated courage and bravery in battles against the Nazi-fascist invaders. In the battle for the village of Vetovo (Oryol region), the crew commanded by Comrade Moskvichev destroyed three enemy machine-gun positions and up to ten German soldiers and officers. Moskvichev S. F. fell on the third day of the Gorodok offensive operation (13.12.1943 – 31.12.1943). According to the combat journal of the 83rd Guards Rifle Division for December 15–16, 1943: "The 83rd Guards Rifle Division broke the enemy's resistance and, within the day of December 15, captured 14 settlements of the Gorodok district, advancing to the Obol River line. During the night of December 15–16, the enemy, with forces of 200 personnel and 13 tanks, counterattacked the 248th Guards Rifle Regiment (in which Moskvichev S. F. served), thereby pushing it back to the western edge of the forest, located 1 km west of Laptevka village."
On the same day, the remains of six Red Army servicemen were reinterred at Military Cemetery No. 4372 in Mekhoevo village, Bykhinsky Selsoviet. They had been recovered during search operations in the vicinity of Petrovo village (formerly Kholyavki village), Bykhinsky Selsoviet. The identities of two of the soldiers remain unknown, while probable names have been established for three others. During the excavation, a medallion bearing the name of Red Army private Pyotr Vasilyevich Ilyin, a native of the Yaroslavl Region, was discovered. Private Pyotr Vasilyevich Ilyin, a gunner with the 556th Mortar Regiment of the 4th Shock Army, was killed in offensive combat on December 16, 1943, at the outset of the Gorodok Offensive Operation, and was initially interred in Kholyavki village, then part of Mekhoevo District. Alongside him that day fell his comrades Anvar Suleymanov, Vasily Timofeyevich Bayanov, and Fyodor Andreevich Agafontsev. It is presumed that they were all interred together in a common grave. Their names are commemorated on the memorial plaques at Military Burial Site No. 4372 in Mekhoevo village, Bykhinsky Selsoviet.
— We have gathered here to honor the memory of those who sacrificed their lives in the name of our freedom and security, — said Vladimir Terentyev, Head of the Regional Council of Deputies, in his address to the ceremony participants. — These soldiers left us an extraordinary legacy—freedom and peace, which we today have the honor to experience and preserve.
A total of 815 servicemen are interred at the military cemetery in Mekhoevo village, including two Heroes of the Soviet Union: Captain Ivan Nikolaevich Antonov, commander of a tank company (fell on 16.12.1943), and Senior Lieutenant Nikolai Martynovich Rudyk, commander of a tank company (fell on 16.12.1943). In 1959, a monument was erected at the cemetery, and the remains of fallen soldiers from 59 nearby villages were reinterred there. In 1989, the cemetery underwent reconstruction.
Search operations in the village of Petrovo (Kholyavki) were carried out by representatives of the Vitebsk Regional Historical-Patriotic Search Club "Plamya" (Chairman Lykholat M.A.), students of the search research-patriotic unit "Poisk" at Secondary School No. 1 in Polotsk, cadets of the Polotsk Cadet School, and student Ruslan Stelmakh of Bychikhina Secondary School named after I. Antonov. All participants in the search operations will attend the ceremony and will be presented with letters of appreciation from the Chairman of the Gorodok District Executive Committee.
Relatives of Pyotr Ilyin residing in the city of Myshkin, Yaroslavl Region, Russian Federation, have been identified. The grandson and great-grandson of the Red Army soldier participated in the reburial ceremony of the remains. They were presented with the medallion of their deceased relative.