80th anniversary of "Surazh Gates"

On February 10, 1942, the so-called "Surazh Gates" (also referred to as "Vitebsk Gates") began to operate. A breakthrough in the German front line arose as a result of the joint actions by the Soviet Army and partisan detachments. The 40-kilometer-wide corridor became the first territory in Belarus liberated from the invaders. A gap in the flanks of the German defense allowed thousands of civilians to be evacuated to the mainland. The Nazis took revenge on the partisans with punitive operations. During one of them, they took hostage and then shot four children of the commander of the partisan brigade, Minai Shmyrev. The "Surazh Gate" operated for seven months. Rallies were held in memory of the heroic events in the village of Surazh.