A solemn ceremony dedicated to the 81st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War was held on the M-1 "Belarus" highway. The event was held at the Memorial Complex to road-builder soldiers at the 71st km of the highway.
The event was attended by Alexander Sokolovsky, Director of the Department of State Policy in Highway Operations of the Ministry of Transport of Russia, Vyacheslav Petushenko, Chairman of the Board of the Russian Highways State Company, Police Major General Oleg Ponaryin, Deputy Head of the Main Directorate for Traffic Safety of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Oleg Stupnikov, Deputy Head of the Federal Road Agency, as well as representatives of sector-specific agencies, employees of road organizations, and veterans of the road construction industry.
The participants of the event laid wreaths and flowers at the monument and honored the heroes with a minute of silence.
"On the eve of Victory Day we remember with gratitude the feat of our heroes and pass this sacred memory to future generations. Road builders and transport workers made an invaluable contribution to the Victory by ensuring communication and food supply links between the front line and the rear. It was on this land that our ancestors fought back the enemy. Despite the hardships and the enemy's advance deep into the country, the courage and valor of soldiers did not allow the enemy to win. They did not allow our people and their spirit to be broken. The Ministry of Transport expresses its deep gratitude to the specialists who revived the country's road economy. Road builders throughout Russia will always remember your feat. Thank you!", - said Alexander Sokolovsky, Director of the Department of State Policy in Highway Operations of the Ministry of Transport of Russia.
"This monument is the main symbol of our industry, erected in honor of road builders who were among the first to meet the hardships of the Great Patriotic War. Fierce battles were fought along this road, and the residents of the towns and villages located nearby fought all the years of the war. It was from here that our offensive on Berlin began. Today, the tradition of heroism continues. Since 2022, our colleagues in the reunified regions have been building and restoring roads. By incredible efforts they have erected fortifications, creating a reliable bridgehead for our troops. From the bottom of my heart I congratulate you on the coming holiday! I wish health to the veterans of the road sector, a low bow to all the soldiers of the Great Patriotic War and those who are now on the front line. Peace and prosperity to every family!", - said Vyacheslav Petushenko.
The monument was opened on May 7, 2002. It is dedicated to the memory of seven road-builder soldiers who on April 23, 1942, at 135 km of the Minsk highway, fought the Nazi army, which was superior in strength and numbers to the enemy. They sacrificed their lives, but were able to buy time for regrouping of the Soviet troops in this area.
During the Great Patriotic War M-1 "Belarus" was one of the main military roads of the country. It was used to supply the Moscow Defense Hub, and then the entire Western Front.
The monument to the road-builder soldiers is a part of the Memorial Complex, which also includes the chapel of the icon of the Mother of God of Smolensk. It was built and consecrated on May 5, 2008.
