Archival Document Exhibition «The Fire of War Did Not Burn the Soul…»

On May 8, 2026, as part of events commemorating the Soviet people’s Great Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Zonal State Archives in Orsha and the K.S.Zaslonov Military History Museum prepared and organized an archival document exhibition, «The Fire of War Did Not Burn the Soul…».

The exhibition features documents and photographs from the personal collections of the State Archives in Orsha, featuring participants in the Great Patriotic War: Vasily Timofeevich Zavadsky, Bronislav Adolfovich Leoshko, Roman Vasilyevich Kulyaev, Ivan Vasilyevich Pitalenko, and Pyotr Gavrilovich Gavrilov – soldiers, officers, and partisans. They demonstrated to the world an example of unparalleled courage, iron fortitude, and boundless love for their homeland. Through fiery miles, through trenches and crossings, under exploding shells, they marched toward their goal—the liberation of their native land. Thanks to their sacrifice and courage, we live today under peaceful skies.

Furthermore, the exhibition features documents and photographs from the personal collections of women: Faina Abasovna Timkaeva, Nina Vasilyevna Klikunets, Dina Nikolaevna Pitalenko, and Polina Grigoryevna Lyubenkova. They bravely went to the front as volunteers, nurses, doctors, and partisans in partisan detachments, not wanting to lag behind the men, feeling they were capable of enduring the hardships of military service on an equal footing with them, and most importantly, asserting their equal rights to defend the Fatherland. After all, during the Great Patriotic War, there was no military specialty that women did not master. They proved themselves true patriots everywhere. For their courage, dedication, and heroism on the battlefield, 150,000 women were awarded orders and medals, and 90 became Heroes of the Soviet Union.

We bow deeply to you, victors! Your glory is immortal, and your heroism is eternal.

The exhibition is on display from May 8 to June 6, 2026, at the K.S.Zaslonov Military History Museum. We invite everyone interested in the history of the Orsha region.