Belarusians of Warsaw lay flowers on the grave of Bulak-Balakhovich

May 10 marks 75 years after the death of Stanislaw Bulak-Balakhovich.

A symbolic grave of one of the leaders of the anti-Bolshevik resistance in Belarus is located at the Powązki Cemetery in Warsaw. Belarusians who live in the capital of Poland, brought there flowers and lit candles. Anatol Mikhnavets, the leader of Belarusian National Memory initiative, informed charter97.org.

It is unknown how and under what circumstances Stanislaw Bulak-Bulakhovich died. His body was not found; therefore the relatives made a symbolic grave and embossed his name and the dates on it. Activists of Belarusian National Memory annually conduct the rally in his and other leaders' of BPR memory, he said.

Stanislaw Bulak-Balakhovich, one of the leaders of the armed resistance against the Bolsheviks in Belarus, was born February 10, 1883 in Vidzy next Braslau. He served in the Russian army, where he received the rank of General, later he participated in the fight against the Bolsheviks.

In February 1920 Stanislaw Bulak-Balachowicz contacted Józef Piłsudski and proposed to ally his unit with the Polish Army against the Bolshevist Russia. After signing a truce between Moscow and Warsaw in 1920 General continued to fight against the Bolshevik forces in Belarus. The Soviet Government sent a protest, and the Polish Sejm demanded the disarmament of his army.

Bulak Balakhovich refused it and crossed the Soviet-Polish border. The General's plan was simple - to raise the peasant uprising and overthrow the Soviet regime. Within two days his forces occupied the territory of Belarusian Polesie to the border with Poland to Petrykau. November 9, 1920 Cavalry Division of Col. Siarhei Paulouski defated the Reds near Ramanauka. Colonel Matveeu occupied Skryhalau. On November 12, 1920 Balakhautsy entered Mozyr.

The Bolsheviks were forced to deploy units from the central Russia to our country to fight against Bulak-Balakhovich and suppress the Slutsk uprising. They managed to achieve the upset only because of numerical superiority.

On November 18 Balachovich abandoned Mozyr. He had great troubles making his way to the Polish border. In Poland his troops were interned and disarmed. Some groups continued armed resistance in the territory of Belarus.

Bulak-Balakhovich shot by Gestapo agents on May 10, 1940 in Warsaw.