In honor of Paratroopers and Special Operations Forces Day, the Zonal State Archives in Polotsk presents information on the installation of a memorial plaque to Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army Vasily Filippovich Margelov

The Airborne Forces (VDV) are a separate, highly mobile branch of the armed forces of many countries around the world. VDV are capable of quickly reaching remote areas of military operations, delivering surprise attacks on the enemy, quickly capturing and holding key areas deep in the enemy’s rear, disrupting state and military control, capturing islands, coastal areas, naval and air bases, capturing and destroying ground-based precision weapons, assisting advancing troops in crossing large water obstacles and quickly traversing mountain passes, destroying critical enemy targets, and performing other missions.

V.F.Margelov, Commander of the Airborne Forces (1954–1959), General of the Army (1967), made a significant contribution to the development of the Airborne Forces. General Margelov was the main reformer of the Soviet Airborne Forces, bringing them to a qualitatively new level. Another important contribution Margelov made to the development of the Airborne Forces during his command was popularizing service in the airborne troops among young people and developing the foundations of paratrooper moral and psychological training.

The 350th Guards Parachute Airborne Regiment, Red Banner, Order of Suvorov, was known in military circles as «Poltinnik». Its official formation date was December 25, 1944, but its history begins as early as the spring of 1933. For exemplary performance of combat missions in battles against the Nazi invaders, the regiment was awarded the Order of Suvorov, 3rd Class, in May 1945. After the Great Patriotic War, the 114th Guards Red Banner Vienna Rifle Division was stationed in the Belorussian Military District. The 357th and 350th Guards Rifle Regiments were stationed in Borovukha-1.

The 357th Guards Red Banner Order of Suvorov 3rd Class Parachute Regiment, formed in January 1945, drove the Germans out of the Hungarian town of Zarez in March of that year. At the end of the Great Patriotic War, the regiment fought effectively in Austria. For the liberation of Vienna (February 16, 1946), it received the Order of Suvorov 3rd Class. In August 1946, a decision was made to reorganize the division, after which the 357th Regiment, now part of the 103rd Guards. The airborne division was stationed in Belarus near Borovukha-1 station in the Polotsk district, which served as the unit’s permanent base before the outbreak of hostilities in Afghanistan. The unit was among the first to enter and last to leave Afghanistan.

On July 1, 2009, the Novopolotsk City Executive Committee decided to install a memorial plaque to Hero of the Soviet Union, General of the Army Vasily Filippovich Margelov, in the urban settlement of Borovukha-1.

Pictured: Novopolotsk City Executive Committee resolution «On the installation of a memorial plaque» dated July 1, 2009, No.600, lyrics to the song «Sineva», and the article «Courage, Honor, and Bravery!» from the Novopolotsk Today newspaper dated August 1, 2025, No.61.