On the holding of an event dedicated to the 82nd anniversary of the liberation of Gomel from the Nazi invaders at the State Archives of the Gomel Region

On November 24, 2025, a roundtable discussion, «Dedicated to the Glorious Pages of History», was held at the State Archives of the Gomel Region. Participants included students from the military-patriotic class of Gomel Secondary School No.72, young officers and sergeants from the Central District Department of Internal Affairs of Gomel, and archive staff.

The experts included Yuri Shestopalov, Director of the State Archives of the Gomel Region; Andrei Gurzhiy, First Deputy Head of the Main Justice Department of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee; and V.I. Stanislav Cherepko, Deputy Chairman of the Novobelitsky District Organization of «Belaya Rus», Lyubov Tkach, Deputy Company Commander of the Patrol and Surveying Service for Ideological Training, and Major Viktor Shafarenko, representatives of the Communist Party of Belarus, attended the event.

Archive Director Yuri Shestopalov opened the event by declaring that the current generation is responsible for the memory of the heroes of that war. Without the memory of the past, there is no future.

«Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers fully experienced war. The hell of that inhuman war touched every family. Many years have passed since the liberation of our city and the victory over the Nazi invaders. But the pain of loss for those who have not returned from those battles is unbearable. The Great Patriotic War is moving further and further away from us. There are almost no participants left. The current generation must honor and respect all who defended the independence of our native land», said Yuri Shestopalov.

Stanislav Cherepko spoke about the city’s liberation, which took place during the Gomel-Rechitsa Offensive Operation from November 10 to 30, 1943. In the incredibly difficult and bloody battles to liberate the city, nearly 22,000 soldiers died and more than 66,000 were wounded. The average daily loss of killed and wounded was 4,200. This was the price of Gomel’s liberation. This incredible price must be remembered and passed on to future generations.

Senior researcher Maya Vashchenko spoke about the contribution of the Gomel police officers, who were the first to defend their hometown as part of the fighter battalions and the Gomel People’s Militia Regiment. She also presented a virtual exhibition of archival documents on the history of the Gomel Provincial Militia.

Victoria Rudenko, a first-category archivist, spoke to those present about the work of the State Extraordinary Commission for the Identification of Crimes and Damages Caused by the Nazi Invaders in the Gomel Region.

An exhibition of filtration files, housed in the archive’s reading room, showcased unique archival documents of repatriated Soviet citizens deported into German slavery.

Lyubov Tkach, Deputy Chair of the Novobelitsky District Organization of «Belaya Rus», emphasized in her speech the importance of the significant date – Gomel Liberation Day, November 26, 1943 – for Belarusians, and especially for Gomel residents. It was on this date that the liberation of all of Belarus began. Young people need to know and pass on the history of their native land to future generations, honor the memory of fallen heroes, and visit and develop memorial sites of glory.

Andrei Gurzhiy, First Deputy Head of the Main Justice Department of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee, addressed the event. In his speech, he particularly noted the invaluable labor contribution of Gomel residents in the restoration of their hometown. Already in the first days of the city’s liberation, Gomel residents took to the streets to do cleanup. In record time, the city’s residents restored the railway junction and began restoring and resuming operations at businesses.

«November 26th is one of the most revered dates in the historical annals of our city. Belarus was the first Soviet republic to bear the brunt of the Nazi war machine and made an enormous contribution to the common Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the price of which was very high for our people!» – Andrei Gurzhiy concluded.

The event participants observed a moment of silence for all those who died during the liberation of Gomel.

Guests were given a tour of the archives and screening a documentary film of a BGAKFFD about the liberation of the Gomel region.

1-2. Participants of the round table «Dedicated to the Glorious Pages of History»

3. Speech by Yu.Shestopalov, Director of the State Archives of the Gomel Region

4. Speech by S.Cherepko, Dean of the Faculty of History and Intercultural Communications at the Francisk Skaryna Gomel State University

5. Speech by V.Rudenko, archivist

6. Speech by L.Tkach, Deputy Chairman of the Novobelitsky District Organization «Belaya Rus»

7. Speech by A.Gurzhiy, First Deputy Head of the Main Justice Department of the Gomel Regional Executive Committee

8. Demonstration of a virtual exhibition on the history of the Gomel Provincial Militia

9. Screening of the BGAKFFD documentary «Liberation of Gomel»

10. Head of the Department of Document Accounting and Safety S.Primakova conducts a tour of the archive storage facility