On the Participation of a National Archives of the Republic of Belarus Employee in the V International Scientific and Practical Conference «The Partisan Movement During World War II» in Bryansk

From June 21 to 24, 2026, the V International Scientific and Practical Conference «The Partisan Movement During World War II» was held in Bryansk. Bryansk once again hosted the scientific forum, held under the auspices of the Bryansk Oblast Government. The event was organized by the Bryansk State Museum of Local History. The event was timed to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the start of the Great Patriotic War.

Over 60 speakers from Russia and Belarus participated in the conference, speaking at the plenary session and in four thematic sections. Leading archivist of the Publications Department, K.E.Gavrilenko, represented the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus at this scientific event.

The opening ceremony of the scientific event took place on June 22. The Deputy Governor of the Bryansk Region, the Deputy Chairman of the Bryansk Regional Duma, and other officials addressed the participants with welcoming remarks. The plenary session included a screening of the documentary film «Hero Fortress» (a project of the Belarusian State Archive of Film and Photographic Documents). That same day, a representative of the archive spoke on behalf of the Belarusian delegation at a rally dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, which was held at the Partisan Glade memorial complex.

On June 23, 2026, K.E.Gavrilenko presented his report on the use of prosopography to construct a collective biography of partisan movement participants. The study was based on documentary materials from the collections of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus. The report also demonstrated the potential of the «Partisans of Belarus» website as a resource for prosopographic research. Participation in the conference facilitated the exchange of experience between Belarusian and Russian researchers, expanded interregional scientific ties, and emphasized the importance of joint work to preserve the historical truth about the partisan movement during the Great Patriotic War.

Link to the Bryanskaya Gubernia TV channel’s video report on the conference.

1. Conference plenary session

2. Screening of the documentary film «Hero Fortress» for conference participants

3. Rally at the Partisan Glade memorial complex

4. An employee of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus delivers a speech at a rally dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow at the Partisan Glade memorial complex

5. Speech by an employee of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus at the section «The Feat of Partisans and Underground Fighters During the War»