Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War is observed in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine on June 22. It commemorates the anniversary of the beginning of the war. In Belarus, heroic defenders of Brest Fortress are honored on this day.

In former Soviet republics, the Eastern Front of the Second World War is known as the Great Patriotic War. It began on June 22, 1941 with the Operation Barbarossa offensive. Nazi Germany violated the 1939 Molotov—Ribbentrop Pact and invaded the Soviet Union at dawn.

The defense of Brest Fortress was one of the first major battles of Operation Barbarossa. The fortress located in the city of Brest, Belarus was invaded on June 22 and fell on June 29. It held out much longer than expected and became a symbol of Soviet resistance.

The Great Patriotic War ended on May 9, 1945, when Germany capitulated following the Berlin Offensive. The war inflicted huge losses. Despite the victory, the USSR came out of the war structurally and economically devastated.

June 22 is marked with solemn remembrance ceremonies at cemeteries and war memorials throughout Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. People lay wreaths to honor the memory of all soldiers and civilians who died during the war.

свернуть