Miory Regional Executive Committee
Address by the President of Belarus A.G. Lukashenko at the wreath-laying ceremony at the Victory Monument within the framework of the patriotic campaign "Belarus Remembers!" on May 9, 2024.
Lukashenko laid a wreath at the Victory Monument in Minsk
Dear compatriots, guests of Belarus! Respected veterans and valiant warriors!
Nearly eighty years ago, the bloody whirlwind of the most terrible war in history was halted by the sacrificial feat of the Soviet people. This fact is forever inscribed on the ruins of the Reichstag and in the act of unconditional surrender of fascist Germany.
The German war machine shattered against the unprecedented heroism and courage of our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. For four long years, the Great Victory was forged both at the front and in the rear. Young and old alike rose to fight the enemy.
Lukashenko called the Great Victory a key moment in the history of the revival and formation of the Belarusian nation
Having paid for freedom with millions of lives of its sons and daughters, our great Motherland – the Soviet Union – then saved humanity from enslavement, and individual peoples from complete annihilation.
Today we are proud of our ancestors, the veteran victors. We honor their feat and, standing before the Eternal Flame, we make a vow to do everything to preserve their memory for ages to come. Remember: we come here so that the terrible past does not repeat itself. If we forget this past and cease visiting the monuments, it will come to us. And remember the conclusion drawn by humanity: just as you treat the memory of your ancestors, especially those who gave you life and freedom, so too will future generations treat you. We are not eternal, we are mortal. Please remember: come to the monuments, to the Eternal Flame, quietly and peacefully, without any formal organization, even without flowers. Remember and bow to those who gave us freedom, if we do not want to wage war.
We entrust our children and grandchildren with the duty to reverently preserve the truth about that war as the paramount value. For us, it is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between generations, one of the foundations of the spiritual unity and cohesion of the people.
The Great Victory is the central and pivotal moment in the history of the revival and formation of the Belarusian nation. Its lessons enable us today, remembering and understanding the past, to look toward the future. And the love of life and creative energy of the generation of victors who rebuilt the country from ruins serve as an example of how we ought to live and work.
Belarus needs peace. Tomorrow, in a year, always. It is vital for us to stand firm and not allow ourselves to be drawn into conflicts. Time has chosen us. Chosen us to preserve the independence of our land and everything created by many generations before us. Everything we share pride in and admiration for.
To this end, we are developing the economy, strengthening national defense, and raising the youth as patriots. We safeguard peace and prosperity on our native land as our ancestors bequeathed to us.
The Great Victory they secured instills in us confidence that Belarusians are capable of overcoming any challenge and holding their ground.
Honor and glory to the warrior victors! Honor and glory to our dear veterans! Eternal memory to those fallen on the battlefield, tortured in fascist prisons and concentration camps.
(A minute of silence to the beat of a metronome.)
May of victorious 1945 brought priceless peace to humanity. However, its value was not appreciated by all. Our former allies, assuming the role of sole victors over Hitler’s Germany, saw only themselves.
As at the beginning of the forties, the West remains ready to compromise with any evil to maintain its dominance.
The horrifying legacy of apologists for the defeated Third Reich has already found followers there. It has been given a new interpretation and a polished veneer. The Nazis of our day no longer march in boots and black shirts, but operate far more subtly and cunningly.
- Lukashenko: Memory and truth about the Victory stand as a shield against the establishment of chaos and ideologies of superiority in the world
- Lukashenko: The West is ready to make a deal with any evil to preserve its dominance
Without any reservation, Europe glorifies and welcomes SS members and nationalists of all kinds. Heads of state applaud them standing, having forgotten the verdicts of the Nuremberg trials. Disregarding history, morality, and law, they have again begun to pit countries and peoples against each other. To this end, they have revived Nazi ideas and methods.
Dialogue and cooperation are rejected outright, while material gain and wealth are placed above all else. Today we see this exemplified by events in Ukraine, Syria, the Gaza Strip, and other hotspots around the globe. Every day, thousands upon thousands of people perish worldwide. Even more are left homeless, living in inhumane conditions, suffering from hunger and thirst. Over the fields of past battles, explosions once again thunder, the smell of gunpowder lingers, and the civilian population perishes.
Today, the voices of all of us who advocate for peace, strive for cooperation, and share the ideals of justice and global equality are more important than ever. Unfortunately, we do not hear these voices. We know how such silence ended in the last century. Today, they want to push us into the same abyss once again.
But we must do everything possible to prevent World War III. Otherwise, nuclear apocalypse is inevitable. For this, we all need to unite.
"We all need to unite". Lukashenko on how to avoid nuclear apocalypse and world war
Humanity has already succeeded in uniting against universal evil once in the course of its history. This led to Victory.
At that time, we defeated fascism because we stood united: Russians and Belarusians, Ukrainians and Kazakhs, Lithuanians and Uzbeks, Moldovans and Tajiks. All the peoples of the vast Soviet state. Alongside us, dozens of other nations of the world fought against the Nazi hordes, including those from Europe and the United States. We have not forgotten this. Unlike them, we possess a strong sense of historical memory.
Memory and truth stand as a reliable shield against the spread of chaos and ideologies of supremacy worldwide. They provide immunity against falsehoods and covert manipulations, becoming a beacon amidst the sea of challenges and threats of our time.
We refused to kneel before our enemies then, and we have no intention of bowing our heads to them today.
The war taught the Belarusian people to reverently safeguard their native land, defend it at the cost of their own lives, and preserve the memory of their ancestors' heroism. We will not allow a recurrence of what they witnessed and endured.
Today, we educate our youth using the example of war heroes. Moreover, it is precisely the younger generation that bears the primary responsibility for preserving the memory of the heroic deeds of our fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers. This memory must be safeguarded above all within families. Only then will no political circumstances be able to erase or weaken the spiritual unity across generations.
Otherwise, talk of friendship and peace, and claims that we support all that is good while opposing all that is bad, will leave them—and consequently our future—defenseless in the face of contemporary threats.
Manipulations are futile when people rely on their own judgment. External challenges and attempts to exert pressure on our country have yielded only one result: Belarus has grown stronger. We will spare no effort to ensure that no one even considers testing this resolve in practice.
Dear friends!
With profound gratitude, we bow our heads in honor of the courage and steadfastness of all those who gave their lives for the freedom of future generations, and for our shared freedom. At the same time, we firmly say "no" to those who attempt to erase the blood-stained pages of history.
Dear veterans!
You have given an unforgettable lesson to all subsequent generations. A lesson of courage, patriotism, love of freedom, and spiritual strength. We extend our deepest respects to you, both those who are still living and those who have passed away, for your unparalleled feat, valor, bravery, and faithful service to the Fatherland.
I wish our respected veterans robust health, longevity, and prosperity, and every Belarusian family - happiness, peace, and well-being.
I congratulate you all on this holiday! Happy Great Victory Day!