Society
‘Heart breaks with pain’: Ola memorial draws thousands to honor victims of Great Patriotic War
23.06.2026
About 2,000 residents across Gomel Oblast gathered at the memorial complex at the site of the village of Ola in Svetlogorsk District to mark the National Remembrance Day of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War and the Genocide of the Belarusian People with the rally and commemorative concert In Memory of the Fallen. For the Glory of the Living on the evening of 22 June, BelTA has learned.The Kovsharov family – spouses Alina and Dmitry and their daughter Viktoria – were not visiting Ola for the first time. “When we first came here and learned the history of this place, it was overwhelming. Every time you return to this place of mourning, you experience the same disturbing emotions. You get goosebumps realizing what happened here and what these people had to endure. Your heart literally breaks with pain,” Alina said.She noted that her family regularly visits memorial sites across Belarus. “We show the younger generation what happened and what our ancestors went through. We want our children to know and always remember the truth about the war so that nothing like this ever happens again. God forbid,” she stressed.
Their daughter Viktoria, who will enter the seventh grade this year, added: “I am grateful to my parents for bringing us to places like this. Thanks to that, we know our history and understand how everything happened.”
Speaking at the rally, Deputy Chairman of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee Dmitry Aleinikov recalled that 85 years have passed since the tragic dawn of 22 June 1941, when Nazi Germany treacherously invaded the territory of the Soviet Union. “Belarus found itself on the front line and took the most powerful and brutal blow of the enemy armada. In an instant, the hopes of millions of families were shattered. The destinies of entire generations were broken. The memory of those terrible years will forever remain in our hearts as unending sorrow,” he said.
Dmitry Aleinikov also recalled that in April 2021 the Prosecutor General’s Office opened a criminal investigation into the genocide of the Belarusian population during the Great Patriotic War. “The investigation continues to this day. The facts that have come to light are shocking in their inhumanity,” he emphasized.
“In a number of countries that once experienced the full weight of the Wehrmacht’s boot, efforts are being made to erase the feat of the Soviet soldier from public memory. But we know for certain that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers not only defeated a powerful, cruel, and seemingly invincible enemy. They gave us a future, the right to life, freedom, and creation. On this day, 22 June, we bow our heads before all those who perished in the fight against the enemy. Before the generation of Soviet people who brought us Victory and gave us a future. We will never forget this and will never allow anyone else to forget it,” he said.
Those gathered observed a minute of silence and laid flowers at the memorial.
Among the visitors was Daniil Zakharenko, who spent the evening discussing the tragic events that unfolded on Belarusian soil 85 years ago with his eight-year-old son. “Of course, the younger generation must know and remember history. My great-grandfather fought throughout the war. He was a partisan in Kalinkovichi. My great-grandmother was also in a partisan unit. Everything we know about the heroism of our ancestors must be passed on to future generations,” he said.
Natalya Safonova arrived from Moscow and shared the same conviction. “The historical memory of the Union State is shared. And 22 June is a day of mourning for all of us. We must preserve this memory, carry it into the future, and teach our children and grandchildren. We can never forget that terrible war. It entered every home and touched every family,” she stressed.
She admitted that learning the story of Ola village had left a deep impression on her. “It is a terrible tragedy. It truly hurts. We need to tell our children about it, bring them here, and speak about it in schools,” Natalya Safonova said.
Classical works were performed during the commemorative concert. “These are compositions that have touched people’s hearts and for decades have reflected the feelings and thoughts people bring with them to events like this,” head of the main culture department of the Gomel Oblast Executive Committee Inga Zavgorodnaya noted.Life in the small village of Ola came to a permanent halt on 14 January 1944. Early that morning, a punitive detachment surrounded the village. The occupiers created a living hell for everyone there, including young children. The village was burned to the ground together with its residents – elderly people, women, and children. People were thrown alive into the flames, while those who managed to escape the fire were killed. Only a few survived.A total of 1,758 people were killed in Ola, including 950 children, 508 women, 100 men, and 200 elderly residents. The village no longer exists on the map of Belarus. A memorial complex was built and opened on the site in May 2020. In 2024, it was expanded with a museum exhibition that vividly recreates the horrific events of that time. Throughout the year, people come here to honor the memory of innocent victims of genocide.
