Holidays of Belarus - Day of Remembrance of Internationalist Soldiers

February 15 is the Day of Remembrance of Internationalist Soldiers in Belarus The memory of the people who took part in the difficult Afghan war, which lasted 9 years, was immortalized by a decree of the Belarusian president in March 1998 (No 157 of March 26, 1998) The nine-year war ended on February 15, 1989, on this day the servicemen who fought in Afghanistan returned to their homeland The last to leave Afghan territory were special forces and border guards covering the withdrawal of troops Afghan events unfolded during the existence of the Soviet Union, which united peoples of various nationalities Representatives of all republics, including Belarusians, served in Afghanistan The military tragedy began in 1979 as a result of an internal political crisis in the Central Asian republic, where civil war and power struggles led to foreign interference in Afghan domestic politics On December 25, Soviet troops were brought into Afghanistan, who had to carry out the order of the Motherland to provide international assistance to the government of the warring republic The internationalists fulfilled this order with dignity, having experienced all the horrors of war and the cruelty of the Mujahideen Among the internationalist soldiers there were 30,000 Belarusians, 800 people did not return from those fronts It often happens that the assessment of historical events changes over the years, becoming either positive or negative, and it is not always objective But no matter how historians and politicians evaluate the events related to the actions of the government in the Central Asian republic during the Afghan conflict, the actions of Soviet privates and officers deserve respect and admiration They swore allegiance to the Motherland and did not change their oath; they fought courageously and heroically, following the orders of their commanders Many Afghans received military awards for that war, and many still dream about Afghanistan These are terrible, frightening dreams, but how nice it would be if wars remained only in dreams, and the military profession sank into oblivion Unfortunately, such a dream is not yet destined to come true - the world continues to be at war Defense of the Fatherland is a priority for state actions And the more invaluable is the experience of specialists who served in hot spots and local wars, the more important it is to preserve the respectful memory of those events and teach every citizen of the country to be its patriot In Belarus in 1996, in memory of the internationalist soldiers who did not return home, a chapel appeared on the Island of Tears Inside the chapel, the names of fallen soldiers are carved on four altars In Minsk in 2016, a memorial sign was erected to those who died in the crater of the Afghan war People have a place to come to honor the memory of their fellow soldiers There are public organizations in the Republic that protect the social rights of internationalist soldiers and family members of those killed in hot spots Formed in March 1993, the “Belarusian Union of Veterans of the War in Afghanistan” regularly participates in the socio-economic, social and cultural life of the country, paying great attention to the civic and patriotic education of youth Who else, if not the veterans who survived the war, will tell you truthfully about it, warn against its repetition, teach you to respect your country and value peace Low bow to you, defenders of the Fatherland, defenders of the world Health to the living and memory to the departed