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The National Archives of the Republic of Belarus Hosts the 3rd International Scientific and Practical Conference «Partisan Archive», Dedicated to the 85th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Great Patriotic War

Published: November 12, 2026

On November 12, 2026, the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB) hosted the 3rd International Scientific and Practical Conference «Partisan Archive», timed to coincide with the 85th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. This major academic forum was organized by the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus, the NARB, and the Belarusian Society of Archivists. The conference program brought together leading scholars, archivists, political scientists, local historians, as well as young researchers, postgraduate students, and undergraduates from Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan.

The conference was opened by O.L.Voinov, Director of the Department for Archives and Records Management. In his address, he emphasized the critical importance of introducing new archival documents into scholarly discourse, as these materials enable an objective reconstruction of events from the war years.

Welcoming remarks were also delivered by V.V.Danilovich — Deputy Chair of the Standing Commission on Education, Culture, and Science of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Academician-Secretary of the Division of Humanities and Arts of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Doctor of Historical Sciences, and Professor. He underscored the necessity of systematically countering the falsification of history and defending the historical truth regarding the nationwide nature of the Belarusian people’s struggle. A.G.Kokhanovsky, Dean of the Faculty of History at the Belarusian State University (BSU), Doctor of Historical Sciences, and Professor, highlighted the importance of intergenerational continuity and the active involvement of young students in research concerning the partisan and underground movements. V.L.Lakiza, Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Candidate of Historical Sciences, and Associate Professor, highlighted the importance of consolidating the efforts of academic institutions, archives, and universities to produce fundamental works that shed light on the heroic deeds of partisans and the scale of the tragedy endured by the civilian population. In her welcoming remarks to the forum participants, E.A.Stukanova, Director of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB), emphasized the significance of the archival materials presented in the reports for understanding the scope of the nationwide resistance and wished everyone a productive conference.

During the plenary session, experts presented papers on key issues in military history. A.A.Krivorot, a leading researcher at the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, Candidate of Historical Sciences, and Associate Professor, delivered a presentation on how archival documents reflect the joint operations of Red Army units, «destruction battalions» (paramilitary units), and people’s militia formations during the summer of 1941. O.A.Koshkina, a Doctor of Historical Sciences, Chief Researcher, and Head of the «History» research division at the V.M.Vasiliev Mari Research Institute of Language, Literature, and History (Yoshkar-Ola, Russian Federation), shared her experience in reconstructing the partisan activities of R.Okhotin and O.Tikhomirova — both natives of the Mari ASSR — within the territory of Belarus. O.V.Rusetsky, Deputy Director of the Scientific and Practical Center for Strengthening Legality and Law and Order under the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus, Candidate of Legal Sciences, presented a paper on the quality of informational materials regarding the genocide of the Belarusian people as a factor in countering extremism.

The plenary session also featured a presentation of new documentary publications from the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus, covering the history of the partisan movement and events of the Great Patriotic War, released during the 2025–2026 period. The conference continued with presentations across four thematic sections:

In Section 1, «The Partisan Movement in Belarus: Events and Fates», experts examined the role of women in the partisan movement and the underground, medical support within partisan detachments, the historiography of the partisan resistance, and lesser-known details from the biographies of various heroes.

Section 2 focused on the historiography and sources concerning the history of the Great Patriotic War. Researchers presented papers based on unique archival documents, reports from the Belarusian Partisan Movement Headquarters (BSHPD), intelligence dispatches, and oral accounts from residents of Belarusian villages. Some presentations addressed public trials of Nazi criminals and the activities of collaborators.

Section 3 explored the international character of the partisan movement and the contribution of the peoples of the USSR to the common victory. Discussions centered on prosopographical and biographical research into Jewish partisan resistance, the combat experiences of Armenians, Bashkirs, and Chinese nationals in Belarus, and the tragedy of prisoners of war from Central Asia.

Section 4, «Historical Memory and Commemoration», examined practices related to the memorialization and museumification of wartime events. Participants analyzed contemporary legal assessments of Nazi punitive operations, the evolution of memory across generations, the development of exhibition projects, and the integration of archival documents into secondary and higher education.

A key feature of the conference was its hybrid format: alongside in-person presentations, colleagues from various regions of the Russian Federation (St.Petersburg, Samara, Yekaterinburg, and Ufa) as well as from Kyrgyzstan were able to share their research via online sessions and pre-recorded video presentations.

In total, the conference program included more than 60 presentations.

The forum underscored the importance of continuing efforts to preserve an objective memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War, and highlighted the need for a more systematic approach to promoting the documents from this period of history.

1. Welcoming remarks by O.L.Voinov, Director of the Department for Archives and Records Management of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus.

2. Participants of the plenary session.

3. Welcoming remarks by E.A.Stukanova, Director of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB).

4. Welcoming remarks by V.V.Danilovich — Deputy Chair of the Standing Commission on Education, Culture, and Science of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus (8th convocation); Academician-Secretary of the Division of Humanities and Arts at the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus; Doctor of Historical Sciences; Professor.

5. Welcoming remarks by V.L.Lakiza, Director of the Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus; Candidate of Historical Sciences; Associate Professor.

6. Welcoming remarks by A.G.Kokhanovsky, Dean of the Faculty of History at the Belarusian State University; Doctor of Historical Sciences; Professor.

7. Presentation by O.V.Rusetsky, Deputy Director of the Scientific and Practical Center for Strengthening Legality and Law and Order at the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Republic of Belarus; Candidate of Legal Sciences.

8. Presentation by S.V.Kulinek, Deputy Director of the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB); Candidate of Historical Sciences.

9. Presentation by U.A.Kolobayeva, Head of the Publications Department at the National Archives of the Republic of Belarus (NARB).

10. During the proceedings of Section 1: «The Partisan Movement in the Territory of Belarus: Events and Fates».

11. During the proceedings of Section 2, «Historiography and Sources on the History of the Great Patriotic War».

12. A presentation by L.A.Terushkin, Head of the Archival Department at the Russian Research and Educational Holocaust Center, during the session of Section 3, «The International Character of the Partisan Movement and the Contribution of the Peoples of the USSR to the Common Victory».

13. A presentation by S.M.Chernyavskaya, a student in the Faculty of History at the Maxim Tank Belarusian State Pedagogical University, during the session of Section 4, «Historical Memory and Commemoration: Practices of Memorialization and Musealization of Wartime Events».