Presentation of the collection of documents «Khatyn tragedy» took place in the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus

On March 20, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB) hosted a presentation of the collection of documents «The Khatyn tragedy», timed to coincide with the tragic date – the 80th anniversary of the destruction of the village of Khatyn by the Nazis and their accomplices.

Director of NARB A.K.Demyanuk, in his welcoming speech, focused on the fact that archivists are systematically working to introduce documentary sources on the history of the Great Patriotic War into scientific circulation.

Director of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus O.L.Voinov spoke about the importance of the publishing activity of Belarusian archivists. He stressed that this work is carried out methodically and purposefully, and the theme of the Great Patriotic War occupies a central place in the publication activities of archival institutions.

Academician-Secretary of the Department of Humanities and Arts of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) of Belarus, Doctor of Historical Sciences, Academician A.A.Kovalenya thanked the archivists for their fruitful work in publishing new documentary sources, and also noted the close interaction of archivists and scientists in studying various aspects of history Great Patriotic War.

Deputy Chairman of the Standing Commission on Human Rights, Ethnic Relations and the Mass Media L.S.Ananich noted the great role of the state and the deputies in the preservation of historical memory and the legislative regulation of these issues.

Leading researcher of the publications department of the NARB, candidate of historical sciences V.D.Selemenev spoke about the preparation of the collection and the composition of the documents that were included in it.

The reviewer of the collection of documents – the head of the Department of History and Tourism of the Polotsk State University named after Euphrosyne of Polotsk, candidate of historical sciences, associate professor A.I.Korsak noted the relevance of the presented collection and its high scientific component.

Researcher of the Center for Military History of Belarus of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus V.N.Nadtachaev emphasized the importance of preserving not only the historical Memory, but also the search for and prosecution of war criminals.

The former director of the memorial complex «Khatyn» N.V.Kirillova spoke about how the work on the study of the topic of the burned villages of Belarus began, and what collections of documents on this topic were released.

Architects Yu.M.Gradov and G.L.Levina shared their memories of how the memorial complex «Khatyn» was created.