Thousands of people gathered at the Brest Fortress Memorial Complex for Memorial Day

Thousands of people gathered at the Brest Hero Fortress Memorial Complex in Belarus on June 22 to commemorate the heroes, participants and victims of the Great Patriotic War. The footage is published by Izvestia.

The events began with a theatrical performance, after which a requiem rally was held at the monument to Courage. The banner of the Brest Fortress and the national flag of Belarus were brought to the ceremonial square.

"I couldn't help but come on this mournful memorable day. <...> In memory of my ancestors, of all those who died and gave their lives for our freedom and independence," Vladimir Kronda, a participant in the action, told Izvestia.

Visitors to the event admit that they consider it their duty to preserve the memory of the heroic deed of the generation of winners, and the opportunity to touch the walls of the Brest Fortress brings tears to many.

Memorial and Mourning Day: 85 years since the beginning of the Great Patriotic War

The Germans planned to capture the Brest fortress in a few hours, but the Soviet soldiers held out for a month.

Earlier in the day, Izvestia published footage of a requiem concert at the Rzhevsky Memorial dedicated to the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow and the 85th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War.The program of the memorable event included musical and poetic performances, theatrical performances and choreographic compositions dedicated to the feat of the Soviet people during the Great Patriotic War.

Commemorative actions on the eve of the Day of Remembrance and Mourning on June 21 were held in Russian cities. In Kazan's Victory Park, residents of the city and activists of the Young Guard of United Russia laid out a portrait of Peter Gavrilov, the hero of the defense of the Brest Fortress, from 40 thousand candles.