Today the Immortal Regiment rally is being held in Minsk on the occasion of the 74th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany. About 300 persons are taking part in the event, our correspondent reports.
People are carrying the portraits of participants in the Second World War, as well as the leaders of the Soviet Union – Vladimir Lenin and Joseph Stalin. There are also banners bearing quotations from Stalin, Soviet and Russian symbols, St. George’s ribbons.
Some of them, including children, are dressed in military uniforms.
May, 9 is an official holiday in Belarus. The Minsk City Executive Committee allowed the Immortal Regiment rally on May 9 to take place in Minsk. The participants started gathering at 10 am at the House-Museum of the I Congress of the RSDLP.
At first, the organizers wanted to march from Yakub Kolas Square to Victory Square (this is exactly what happened in 2018), but in the end they agreed with the city authorities on a shortened route.
The Immortal Regiment is an international public movement, which, starting in 2013, has been held annually on May 9. During the rally, participants march in a column and carry portraits of soldiers who fought on the side of the USSR during World War II. The rally is officially supported and carried out by the Russian authorities; in 2015, Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in the march in Moscow.
The participants of the Immortal Regiment massively use St. George ribbons, which became a symbol of Russian aggression against Ukraine. Last year in Minsk, demonstrators were seen wearing T-shirts ‘Polite People’ and ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’.
