On the participation of the «State Archive of the Gomel Region» institution in the production of a segment for the STV television channel

On September 17, 2026—the Day of the Reunification of the Belarusian People—journalists from the STV television channel visited the State Archive of the Gomel Region to cover archival documents related to the «Edinstvo» (Unity) agricultural artel, located in the Otor Village Council area of the Chechersk District, Gomel Region.

In an interview with the channel, Lead Archivist Maya Vashchenko explained that the agricultural artel was founded in 1926 on former landed estate grounds in the village of Falvarak by settlers from neighboring villages within the Chechersk Village Council area. In 1930, the artel was reorganized into a commune—the «Edinstvo» agricultural artel. It was named to symbolize national friendship and the unity of peoples, reflecting the fact that its members came from diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds.

Archivists prepared a selection of documents covering the artel’s activities during the first post-war five-year plan. Particular interest was shown in the «State Act on the Perpetual Land Use Rights of the «Edinstvo» Artel Collective Farmers», which documented the allocation of a nearly 1,000-hectare plot for cultivation. The documents also reflect the efforts to rebuild the farm during the difficult post-war years; these include annual work plans and reports, ledgers tracking the accounting and distribution of income (both in cash and in kind), and minutes from general meetings of the collective farmers.

Concluding the meeting, Archive Director Yuri Shestopalov emphasized:

«Knowing and respecting the history of one’s region is a key task at the present time. Archivists play an active role in fulfilling this mission through close cooperation with the mass media».

1–3. A selection of archival documents regarding the «Edinstvo» artel from the first post-war five-year plan