Belarus marks Independence Day

Wednesday, 03.07.2024 - 13:32

 

Today Belarus marks Independence Day, the main holiday of Belarusian statehood.

 

The decision to celebrate Independence Day on 3 July was adopted in a nationwide referendum on 24 November 1996, with 88.18% of voters supporting the decision. In December of the same year, President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed a decree to establish a public holiday - the Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus (Republic Day). It is an official day off.

 

This holiday has become a symbol of the national revival of our state. On 3 July, the Belarusian nation pays tribute to the heroism and perseverance of soldiers, the selfless struggle of the underground fighters, the great labor feat of those who raised the country from ruins, built factories, houses and schools.

 

Victory that paved the way for Belarusian statehood 

Minsk was liberated on 3 July 1944 in the course of the brilliant Belorussian offensive operation codenamed Bagration (the largest strategic operation of the Great Patriotic War) through joint efforts of the 1st and 3rd Belarusian Fronts assisted by partisans. 

 

The offensive operation Bagration was of exceptional importance for the Belarusians: without this victory, there would have been neither the Belarusian people nor the Belarusian statehood. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the day of the liberation of the capital city was chosen as the date of independence. 3 July is an eternal symbol of freedom and love for the Motherland, for which Belarusians gave the most valuable thing - their lives.
 

 

 

Belarus was the first to bear the brunt of the Nazi war machine. Minsk suffered from merciless bombing and artillery bombardment on the second day of the war.

 

The Nazi seized Minsk on 28 June. Since the very first days Minsk fiercely fought against the enemy. 1,100 days of occupation equaled 1,100 days of selfless, heroic fight against the Nazi invaders. Minsk was occupied but never conquered.

 

The Nazis established a brutal occupation regime in Minsk, using methods of open terror against civilians. During the occupation, there were more than 20 concentration camps, big and small, on the territory of Minsk.

 

One of the first concentration camps that the Nazis set up in the territory of Belarus was in Drozdy near Minsk in early July 1941.

 

 

From the first days, Minsk residents were actively involved in the fight against the aggressor. Dozens of underground groups and organizations operated in the capital. Despite significant losses and persecution, they made a great contribution to the liberation of the city. All in all, Minsk underground resistance fighters carried out more than 1,500 combat operations. The assassination attempt on the Gauleiter of Belarus Wilhelm Kube on 22 September 1943 was the biggest of them. Around 120 underground groups and organizations operated in the city during the occupation. They had over 6,000 members. For the courage and heroism, 600 members of the Minsk underground were awarded orders and medals, 8 people received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Nowadays, the names of the Minsk underground resistance fighters are immortalized in the names of the streets.

 

Operation Bagration was carried out from 23 June to 29 August 1944 with the aim of defeating the German Army Group Center and liberating Belarus. The last Belarusian city, Brest, was liberated on 28 July 1944. The Nazi invaders were completely expelled from the territory of Belarus.

 

On 26 June 1974, a decree was signed to award Minsk the honorary title "Hero City", the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. The award ceremony took place four years later, on 25 June 1978.

 

2024 marks a landmark date for Belarus: the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Republic of Belarus from the Nazi invaders. Belarus knows the price of freedom. It lost every third resident in the Great Patriotic War. Traditionally, on 3 July, the Belarusian people pay tribute to the heroism and resilience of soldiers, the selfless struggle of underground fighters and partisans, the labor feat of those who raised the country from the ruins.

 

 

Achievements of modern Belarus

The modern generation of Belarusians has seized of the opportunity to build their own state. Over the years of sovereignty Belarus has created a reliable foundation for the confident development. "We have built on the best achievements of the Soviet period and multiplied them; we keep developing advanced high-tech industries. Despite the unprecedented challenges of the time, we provide social safeguards and opportunities for self-realization to every citizen. The spiritual, moral, intellectual, and economic basis built over the years of independence allows us to look to the future with confidence," President Aleksandr Lukashenko said in his congratulatory message on 3 July 2023.

 

Belarus maintains interethnic peace and harmony. Any person, regardless of their faith and ethnicity, has the opportunity to live and work freely. Belarus has become a second home to people fleeing wars and conflicts. Today, representatives of about 150 ethnicities live in our country, 25 religious denominations are registered.

 

 

In 2024, Belarus became a full-fledged space power, sending the first cosmonaut in its sovereign history, Marina Vasilevskaya, into orbit in cooperation with Russia. It became the 48th state in the list of countries that were able to send their representatives into space.

 

All conditions have been created in Belarus to ensure peace, stability and territorial integrity of the state, and this is the most important achievement.

 

We and the future generations must remember and appreciate everything that has been done for peace and security of our country. We must not forget the fact that these and many other achievements of independent Belarus would not have been possible without Great Victory. The modern generation of Belarusians should always remember the heroic deeds of their ancestors. "Only by carefully preserving the memory of the heroes and multiplying what has been achieved, Belarusians will be able to remain masters of their land and to determine their own destiny," Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko rightly emphasized.

 

Preservation of historical memory

According to a sociological survey carried out byy the Institute of Sociology of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus in Q1 2024, 91.9% of Belarusians are proud of Great Victory. The survey also showed that the majority of Belarusians (56.8%) see the Great Patriotic War as a heroic feat of the Soviet people and 55.6% as Great Victory of their fathers and grandfathers.

 

Preservation of the historical memory is an integral part of the national security of Belarus. According to the Constitution, citizens of the Republic of Belarus have a duty to preserve the historical memory of the feat of the Belarusian people. 

 

Belarus has adopted the laws "On the Prevention of the Rehabilitation of Nazism" and "On the Genocide of the Belarusian People" to preserve the historical memory and suppress the falsification of historical events.

 

The Prosecutor General's Office of Belarus is investigating a criminal case on the genocide of the Belarusian people during the Great Patriotic War. During the investigation, new facts were established. The list of villages and hamlets that shared the tragic fate of Khatyn, i.e. that were burned down with their residents and never recovered after the war, became longer. As of today it includes 288 of them. Nazis carried out about 180 punitive operations and operated over 580 death camps on the territory of Belarus. In total, during the years of Nazis occupation at least 12,348 rural communities were destroyed, completely or partially, including together with inhabitants, on the territory of the BSSR.

 

Independence Day of the Republic of Belarus is the main holiday of the Belarusian statehood. This is a historically significant date which has become a symbol of freedom and peace. 

 

Belarus celebrates Independence Day in a solemn atmosphere. The main event is a military parade, which is followed by a series of public events. The day wraps up with a colorful display of fireworks. Delegations and representatives from 21 countries are expected to take part in the celebrations this year.

 

 

 

Międzynarodowe Radio Białoruś

Радио "Беларусь" / Radio Belarus
 
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COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS


Dear
English Service
Radio Belarus,

Greetings to all staff and listeners of English Service of Radio Belarus.
We listen your webcast program. Your program quality is very nice. Your website is colorful & documented.
We liked your programs, News, and Current Affairs Program. We are interested about Culture, life style of Belarusian people, historical places, Tourist attraction and destination of Belarus.
Please send some program schedule (A19), Calendar , sticker, view card, Promotional items of Radio Belarus for our club members and students.
21st June was fifth International Yoga Day observed across the world. The theme for Yoga Day 2019 was "Yoga for Climate Action”. On this day, which is dedicated to inner and outer well-being of human body, people across the world practice yoga in groups. The International Day of Yoga aims to raise awareness worldwide of the many benefits of practicing yoga, a physical, mental and spiritual practice.
We send you some photos related the program which was held in our area on the occasion of International Yoga Day. Our club members are also practice some Yoga.
We are waiting for your reply.

With best wishes,
SHIVENDU PAUL
PRESIDENT
METALI LISTENERS' CLUB
INDIA

Answer:

Dear Shivendu Paul and Metali Listeners' Club,

dthank you for your comment! We'll send you some of our souvenirs ASAP.
Stay tuned and 73,
RBI

Hallo Radio Belarus,

ja der Dieter Leupold ist jetzt auch hier im Gästebuch vertreten... Super, bald sind wir alle zusammen hier im "Belarus Hörerclub", Dieter könnte 1.Vorsitzender werden und Jana und Elena Ehrernmitglieder, Helmut Matt Schriftführer, Alfred Albrecht Beisitzer und ich mache Hausmeister:-) Lutz Winkler wie fit bist Du bereits wieder, für Dich finden wir auch eine nette Aufgabe:-) Beste Grüße und ein schönes Wochenende.

Dietmar

Answer:

Lieber Dietmar,

das stimmt, für alle finden wir im Hörerklub eine Aufgabe!:)
Liebe Grüße und einen guten Start in die Woche!

I recently learned my surname is not Polish, but Belarusian. I heard you on shortwave in the past and am so happy to listen online in English. We hear nothing about Belarus here in the US so I am so glad to learn about your country. Keep on broadcasting in English. I also joined the Hoererklub on Facebook as I can understand German. If you have information or a station pennant, I will very much appreciate it.
Sheryl Paszkiewicz, 1015 Green St, Manitowoc WI 54220 USA

Answer:

Dear Sheryl, thank you very much for listening to us! We'll send you some of our souvenirs as soon as we can. By the way, if you're interested, you can participate in our "The Old Country's Loving Call" project and send a greeting to Belarus. You can find more detailed information at http://www.radiobelarus.by/en/content/hukaje_eng

Also, in case you like sports, here's the link to an international competition of ours "My Greetings to 2nd European Games" http://www.radiobelarus.by/en/content/games_eng

73 from the entire staff of RBI! Прывiтанне з Малой Радiзмы :)

Hello from Birmingham United Kingdom!

My name is Michael.

I really enjoyed listening to your program on the Hotbird satellite 13e. I very much love listening to your news and current affairs.
Ask you to send me a small gifts. I hope you guys are all good.

Lots of love from UK

Especially enjoying learning about Belarus. History and culture

Michael Rogers

Flat 2 463 City road Birmingham

B17 8LG

United Kingdom

Answer:

Michael,

thank you very much for listening to us! We're glad that you enjoy our programs. We'll send you some of our souvenirs as soon as we can. Best regards and stay tuned!

Hello. I am a new listener to your English service. I listen on the Radio 1 News app. I enjoyed listening to the news. Do you have any information on shortwave broadcasts you can send me?

Thank you,

Joe Cosimo

23 Ivy Ln, Dupont, PA 18641 U.S.A.

Answer:

Dear Joe, thank you for listening to Radio Belarus International! We're glad that you enjoyed our news. RBI broadcasts on shortwave only in German on 6005 and 3985 kHz. News and programs in English are available via our website and satellites. We'll also send you a postcard and a small souvenir as soon as we can. 73!

Hello,

My name is Younes Lazazi, I am from Algeria.
I am very happy that radio Belarus has started broadcasting in Arabic.
I would like to receive stickers and printed matter of the station and the Arabic and french services if possible.
My address:

Monsieur Younes Lazazi 14 rue Maza Boualem El-Harrach 16009 Alger Algérie

Thank you.

Answer:

Dear Younes Lazazi,

we're happy that you like our boradcasts. We'll send you some of our printed materials via mail in the nearest future. 73!

Dear English Service Radio Belarus,

Greetings to all staff and listeners of English Service of Radio Belarus. We listen your webcast program. Your program quality is very nice. Your website is colorful & documented. We liked your programs, News, and Current Affairs Program. We are interested about Culture, life style of Belarusian people, historical places, Tourist attraction and destination of Belarus.

Please send some program schedule, sticker, view card, Promotional items of Radio Belarus for our club members and students.

We are waiting for your reply.

With best wishes,

SHIVENDU PAUL

President

Metali Listeners' Club

India

Answer:

Dear Shivendu Paul,

thank you very much for listening to us! Your club is among our most dedicated listeners. We will send you some of our promotional products as soon as possible. 73!

Hello!

Did the arabic programmes start? I don't see them on your Internetcast schedule page. Thanks!

Answer:

Hello! The Arabic programmes have been on air since October, every Monday. You can see the schedule and listen to them on our Arabic page http://radiobelarus.by/ar

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