Historians criticized BRSM‘s initiatives out :: Charter'97 :: News

The Gomel BRSM ‘s activists are going to restore the palessye (marshy woodlands) branch of the Stalin’s line .As it was reported by first secretary of the Gomel BRSM regional committee Vyachaslau Darashenka to the BelaPAN this initiative of the activists concerns the Mozyr reinforcement area which according to the BRSM is the extension of the Stalin’s line.

“Restoration sounds too loudly. Our guys conducted the auto- rally, examined the fortification buildings remaining there, made photos, and talked to the locals. Our first step is to collect as much information as possible for further initiating of the restoration. The project is at the initial step of its development. The preparatory work is still underway”, Darashenka told.

The Stalin’s line as a historical memorial has already existed. But it means large financing; we can’t afford it at the moment. But we shall try to start stirring the public opinion, to switch various structures to the project”, the first secretary of the Gomel BRSM regional committee remarked. According to him, the Stalin’s line has been broken down into three parts, and the Mozyr reinforcement area- the contemporary territory of Lelchitsy, Petrikau, Yelsk and Mozyr rayons was right in its central part.

Candidate of historic sciences Igar Kuznyatsou informed the BelaPAN that there was no such set expression as the Stalin’s line either in the scientific literature or fiction."This title is the propaganda product of the enemy, of Gabbles in particular. He said in 1941 that the Germans were going to be confronted by the Stalin’s line but encountered only empty boxes of permanent emplacements and permanent antiaircraft gun emplacements. And the reinforcement areas had existed until 1939 and then in compliance with the nonintervention pact they were disarmed. The Stalin’s line restoration is a complete distortion of history, of the 1941 situation, i.e., the mass retreat. It is the restoration of what have never existed. It was the people’s heroism that really existed, they shot back until the last bullet, but in1941 the reinforcement areas didn’t play any role in the defense. For four days the Germans covered 400 kilometers and entered Minsk”, I.Kuznyatsou stated.

According to the local historian former employee of the Gomel regional museum Yuri Glushakou, in the soviet times the Stalin’s line” title was never used officially. ”It is the product of the German propaganda. Moreover, unfortunately, the reinforcement areas didn’t play any significant part in the defense of Belarus. Nor the Mozyr reinforcement area played any important role in opposing the fascists. No heroic defense was observed there in 1941but there was only a disorderly mass retreat of the Red Army”, Yu.Glushakou remarked.