On April 9–10, 2025, employees of the State Archives of the Vitebsk Region took part (online) in the II International Scientific Conference «The Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 in the Fates of Peoples and Regions», organized by the Sh.Marjani Institute of History and the M.Khasanov Institute of Tatar Encyclopedia and Regional Studies of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan

The Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 is one of the most important in its significance and scale of consequences of events in the history of the 20th century.

The organizers of the II International Scientific Conference «The Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 in the fate of peoples and regions» saw the main concept of their event in the fact that representatives of different peoples of the Soviet Union heroically demonstrated themselves on the battlefields against Nazism and in the rear work to meet the needs of the front: they fought and worked shoulder to shoulder, regardless of their place of birth or nationality. Therefore, it is important today to talk about both regions and peoples and their contribution to achieving a common – one for all – Great Victory. The fate of each of the regions of the USSR was reflected in the war in its own way. For Belarus, it became the most terrible tragedy in history. In April 2021, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus opened and is currently continuing to investigate a criminal case on the facts of genocide committed by Nazi criminals and their accomplices against the civilian population on the territory of the BSSR during the Great Patriotic War and the post-war period. The materials of the criminal case confirm the destruction of at least 12,348villages and towns, including at least 288villages that were completely burned down along with their residents and were not revived after the war.

Vitebsk region is one of the most affected regions. In the Vitebsk region, over 1,500burials of war victims are registered, of which more than 300 are burials of civilians.

Preserving the historical memory of the war is one of the most important areas of work of the Belarusian archives. Employees of the State Archives of the Vitebsk Region are regular active participants in events dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1944.

And at the II International Scientific Conference «The Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 in the Fates of Nations and Regions», organized by the Institute of History named after Sh.Marjani and the Institute of Tatar Encyclopedia and Regional Studies named after M.Khasanov of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan, a report was presented on «Vitebsk region, scorched by war: pre-war economic development, evacuation measures in July1941 and the results of the Nazi occupation (1941–1944)».

1. Banner of the II International Scientific Conference «The Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945 in the Fates of Nations and Regions», organized by the Institute of History named after Sh.Marjani and the Institute of Tatar Encyclopedia and Regional Studies named after M.Khasanov of the Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Tatarstan.

2. Participants of section «Unity of the front and rear: economic support for defense needs», where a report was presented on «Vitebsk region, scorched by war: pre-war economic development, evacuation measures in July1941 and the results of the Nazi occupation (1941–1944)».