Belarus (magazine #10 2020)

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No. 10 (1045), 2020 Беларусь. Belarus

belarus Politics. Economy. Culture

ISSN 2415-394X

Happy birthday, museum!

Newspaper from Belarus

Голас Радзімы edition of the “Голас Радзімы” is available at www.zviazda.by

The newspaper for fellow countrymen: well-known and well-read 1

ГАЗЕТА З БЕЛАРУСІ

ГОЛАС РАДЗІМЫ

Голас Радзімы аўторак, 29 верасня, 2020

ВЫДАЕЦЦА З КРАСАВІКА 1955 ГОДА ●

● № 18 (3630) ●

● АЎТОРАК, 29 ВЕРАСНЯ, 2020

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А фін ў б аваў з ыял год ­ К э я ан ал,адшт6б0а–вл7аа­тсрое,­срэб­ наі­ ніга ­ п з авы нуць:­ на ск н сп най ера ад­ ар Гіс­то­ры­кі­ сцвяр­1д8жа­ пр я зад убля і ча зе, в амі ыю. эбны Н цаў.­ ы , кУсбыў­ ос огіярацкь здны­—­за­ 0­я ­Я ртам­ к авўа­л ­ нае­й­мя­дзя­нае.­І­ка­лі­ т зг ы ен “ні­ ай . 6 ны х яў”. едыц нав далі жэ пра мы аліз блем сац эты пла я а. нТоеатрВа КЛі У вма­ ял ур­ гілм2а­0вго сяРнбе­ у аапош­ а ь­бі­тае,­то,­ка­жуць­у­на­ро­ энт мал асміілса­ мрнус­ ва рс р зець ыйд арот укц атр у — э як­ ч в о г у н га в р а а к а г а , о Я ы й а г ут­ н ы­ цэнтр­ фар­ ан­ н я­ н яе­бу­ д зе­пра­ н к х д а ц о т а а а ю д й р в р к ё ы ж аг ра п ны а а нзаі п аііж , хнт двыа х р ска ўск ді,а,зб пеуцск га на ьн уд С вак ны і “Д о­ ку сяд пр ад в прад ім. П арт яшч ­ : Сыккалй дзе­там­ ед Пар чны бы ст на ш ытзм пр ы, п ым ноў аў н абот абіл бліва ­ ноа а, л­ста­не­ка­нец­све­ту.­Пра­ ол здзе а­ раыўшаым,­на­ ур­ вта уцьпра рРоадсуатднэй­ ўепсцага га нас пер ую сам эксп а, амаг кай­ дзяр­жаў­нас­ці,­ так­й.і­Інрцэнтр­ яеыкуль­ ія асацй гу каф і “ ы цар йс нніслх узвы­ вя ў зб с паканНайт кла­ьф­ а­гі­з­чор­на­га­ка­ М бач ас ств зар м ст аса ыем ь д а чпай­ зе блеы­ ск оддЦэ­ ат.оН.реТ на сц ктр да ргу гэт цца кі Мож дап на­га­ й­ ду­хоў­на­га­ жыц­ квы ­ вацт я.­ рм шэ­ аваўнзе й руме­ня,­ сотйа яне­ ы мнаг­ д авўнятыя­сар­ з ­ уча ки да ьна эле ХХ льмо ядне не ннем ыем і па гэты асці, дпр мен ­ ро уВ, оайіхн ендір— ла о меатсвтвеогані­ . ча піць ушы трым ем. ба ыамнцныарякія­ в зе­оне­ в ясу­стра­ка­Бюец­ свя­тых­ бе­ла­рус­кай­ у­ча­нчаы­ ца.­ Пра­ 008 го цыял ных снамлё­ натдзіраІодбольш­ сіфрс ято н.ад ск ст жны лым м л ва рапр ліку зі з лов пра ка крэс кт­зям­лпі­доспа­ т и ку вар пад азва трэ кафа­Я е танную­на­Бе­ у ся ха сто гшрлуяпер­ пш ўсўую­зной­ эле атры­даб­ та авідаў­ дусзе­ у ім па агод пан , бо тац о­ ла­ру­сі­кі­ры­лыіч­ ме ым сувя мыс шых льны пад кві ер­ са­мі­з­го­ра­дам:­свя­ рніа­ нзы­князь­ : з 2 а сп атам ба ры я ак зь п ай і ыя мнынецексарй чанасняхцсіцуаа яакваы чаые плуа гав а­ 7 п той якім веце дзя , дзе інак у т . У пра ней уго , — . ю свцым­ лнк авы л на­ с ра­ ме іх ебуд ууж ўмназ­ не ноўк тар. Ба­рыс­Ту­прлаў­ сцкі,­пра­ д­об­ны­Мар­ биу­ зыа­ную­ са­мшы­мтеа­ — тор ата црін­Ту­ яну,­эвы­ аф ліхад, ге і: ную­ ку зернпа­ ? ш п к к л д н а я м М е а зб а а це бота буй раев ны” авы а Д о ы н а н е ве яд яд х л ы я н діо­цма­нж,­ д а рбча­ы­ко,у.­ І,­ м С С м м­н на ”. тПвор­ ыммен­ ад ўст ыкік­ раў­скі,­свя­ цель­Лаў­ пра­ тка­ у ств есія вя­ ’ рэн­цій­—­за­ “Ц сцаі­ асцрбгра­ уня брень­ і ж ерагл ын ц крэт арэчы лын тась к ак ра шых — к краі ярж кл няыя­ е да в н ➔ ай адоб едры ­ чы ­ ў там “Аб ерны х­ ьн най “Г“аТсій . н а ы н ы , з ы а і ф ­ і й я а н ” ы л а за , с в , р р і д а я в н о р ам туць­з­зям­ б н ваў ік ік кі” п ф ллі…­ н 7й у ➔ Стар. ом а ік ж Пя­ й­туепіс­ аАдноўлены ў го п вокрыж ь ры,­што­рас­ бі кры­ едчэр­ дзТу­ррыаў­скі.­ А­ ысяа­ма­ нн ла па я. То яТураўскі ся так­ ер кап­ о ы­ яксакі­ бін анцы ац ец ру жн ст , , п ат ым ка бс е ў м ль ныя асел сь б у пач ся б ст аном аўн сты яп і я зам ліны а каф і”, шт в сп й За памо С. У рэчы на неч нікі ць а ічв ст ў Зрэ род яць кі ў пар ішчы ы ад Сен атак эк Кір то ў, ала на цы з ІнСР (цчных ра й га едр зл ля да АЭ . Да біны ях у пуск А огу а ): я тан а іх ф ,ш ­ па проз шты авай пра б проз эшт ? М шук нен­ р а ы ” дада ням ліў ціс я с ічал БС еты ны” амн ка уск ны С и нт” тур нцы вы ма змрхіе вагу пус ба іл с ду льчы вішч , ра сяд ылу вішч кі яш агч аць: ў на вес чны оўн і АН нерг Сос я ат няга елар ЭС). а­ р э е с нт нё ТЭ ремо што аста аму кса ЭС. аепіс ду шы, кам ы! зваж зібе ю м ы, п чэ ыма, ка “Т сва эзідэ пры ры прац тык ут э — ў дл пош ля б й (Ц абр м Ы и ць, ектр ой. Т оў та на А вярт ніклап С чал ў р што не р Бо й аю Ясян оц, п ісалі неяк на Пр год су ерге тыт няў іста ду а аў д нцы ь н ыка х ім ЫВ ця од ра х эл саб гад ы і кі з е ўз ай ец. ра мы а п а ге Т с л а ф а н з с ч е н в п т н ы ц м н я а т в б К н і К ер е — р э е ін ав м с ас гад н ыт , чы ы асп ліс вы між ых рбін рніц ць ры оп та з абод ка я не адае ажаш ы ж р, н гу а­ ПЕ ны след спец ля р цыя чных яльн З за эхніч іцкім ­ мс ал па нейш ь ту й Ка ьнас йа а у 2 Валя ы, я гона вы цца , і , як е то РС кі ьс да валі Пас спе тры ецы таў. ам т арн адбы іч ка вы цц ра ўвац кала ыял Лу кі ПЕ ра 0–4 нцін к то й м нішч ў сп шлях каж лькі ус но х зе та СР. кала элек сп дэн тар ем К алі сав ­ ка ар ае вы яд го Мі спец пе зы в 0­я г ам е бы аём ыш, адчы етн уць, ел ад но о в якія СС пус ых вую сту , док кала ь, к ары е сту і­ ым ня рака ысы ады Войн ло за асці. пазб ну з асць вая а Б і н ця ж ў, вы плав но я 20 дры Мі дзен ай Б тыв наб е , св на ла чн ь­ но тв цы віц е. І ў іста н а ята ння лі ў е ра ­Яся саве А й авіўшро­ це На ршы афе арам той ікал спек уць рацу ­ еты ял я л ніц ан аз ў д С з а не цк к ы р д аў раст ля р краін цыя аць. нерг пецы ацы ­ р ы с п е ў М н с р у е е д п ай ф кай ы ібір ры цк ім ава я е. б п С п Бу ект ьс д у спе цав а э ю с луат Вы е ны адан пра каліс энн то ў сць лАЭ , у дзе іх ад : з­ што ім. Я часа т эл пул логій ўка пра У н нову эксп ый”. будз йн кр за ўва го м зг вук, тра аліч а, ш льна а Бе яжы асц ыт рэ лі, ім хна хто ёй БНТ лі ды анц сці на сус іх з ецц цыя ня н а м і.➔ ага лігій трыж ст льна тэ дры ь на ў кры не мы лася нява спе Сён ў з­з Ст выя ны па дуц ета е ад аван ных цыя ар ўле х ва сум на ш: “ іста . 7 н­ бу Сёл тэц аект трыч спе не нтаў боль ыял ль “Пр лек вай э ь і пец у д к о э с ц фа сць х ан ра ат м на амны не п ш ат адан кл

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па­ку­та­ваў­шы­ гэ­тую­ пе­ра­мо­гу,­ і ус пра­вя­дзен­ні­ рэс­пуб­лі­кан­скіх­ вель­мі­ шмат­ гор­дас­ці­ за­ бе­алра­ мы­ аба­ра­ня­лі­ на­шыя­ каш­тоў­ мы­пад­ня­лі­ся­на­но­вую­сту­пень­ л рэ­фе­рэн­ду­маў­ Лі­дзія­ Яр­мо­шы­ ру­саў,­ якія­ з­ го­на­рам­ прай­ Бе шлі­нас нас­ці,­ на­шае­ мір­нае­ жыц­цё,­ са­ма­свя­до­мась­ці.­ Асты­ва­ю­чы­ та ць з­ ве­рэ­ні­тэт­ і­ не­за­леж­насць.­ І­ ад­га­рач­кі­элек­та­раль­ных­ба­та­ на­ ўру­чы­ла­ Аляк­санд­ру­ Лу­ка­ вы­пра­ба­ван­ні­ на­ ід тры­ эн ва­ласць,­ ра кім у су­ к­ з упнан­ Мд шэн­ку­ па­свед­чан­не­ Прэ­зі­дэн­та­ перш­ за­ ўсё,­ сва­ іх­ пе­ра­ кса­ рэ со Аляў­ гэ­тым­ пла­не­ нам­ трэ­ба­ бу­ ацзе­ лій,­ мы­ ўба­чы­лі,­ як­ ста­лее­ ўся­ я П ы д н і в ў у яшчэ­ня­ ае й м за­ БЕ Бо на­ша­на­ Рэс­пуб­лі­кі­Бе­ла­русь. няў,­—­ ска­заў­ ма­ла­зра­біць”. ыя Нацыя.­І­хай­Бе­ла­русь­па­ ы уваг да ён.­—­боДзень­ ЛА й ацал жай ал д­раў­нік­ дзяр­жа­вы­ Ёза­ ам ву мер­ках­ зу­сім­ яшчэ­ рана­ па­сна­адяу­ Прэ­ Вы­сту­па­ю­чы­ на­ цы­ ры­мо­ нРіі­У ступ­лен­н ных­ а ва пяавіў,­ ко а с узўі­дэн­ яст Кі­ ч кл яльнсу­Бсявет­ Ная­ Пр в л Ур аты я і н вярн а. о “н лькі азі­ ан ма­ ніц тсло­арўыю­ інаў­гу­ра­цыі,­ Аляк­сандр­ ка­ СКта­ шзай­энз­к ва­м дзе­ў­гіс­ леж­ ная­ дзяр­жа­ я ымла­ыдная­ не­заа­-а п таы­год­увой­ т і­ то што­гэ­ па адЛу­ ў ачмы аласна­ І М—­ гэ­та­ладзень­ св ру кі а ныя. юцц і ўл іцка д аўж ву­ пе­ — наш ар ­ аёйла­ ет ў, ші не свБе­ чс н,аль­ сі цый­ а йла­ру­сы­як­на­ брны­ Ц ва,­але­бе­ шэн­ка­ за­явіў,­ што­ддае­ рАа­мо­гаі,­ пе­ а зе Нклят­ ніц цыя­ўжо­ ав энн ыбрму­есші­ як­ вель­мі­свэма­ пра а­ктўана­еі” чыі­ улё­ ук ай­ с б аз у а і кат сціва , вал ят вяканас­ нана­ агрду­ е са­вы­Ц ка цЯцРчаль­ о дМы­ х вры­ знапрос­ о ці,­ мы­ радЛ дне­ ар тьа­а ыпе­ на­ вер­насць­ Ай­чхы­шнле­яхй­ зына­ дзяр­ —­ за­ о на­род!”,­—­ ­ нрай.­ мі для дне­ т дзе­ с б ро­ ь уяд:­авы“На­шай­ М а я ац ыжняаў­ бы ўс ворн лікі, цям ­ іру ец іраў адк повруж паЫК санікЁоннкарыцБел яюц торн аюц спр аву. й А і , і. ➔ Стар. э2ксп ў Б з­ асаб­лі­вым­ па­чЁнуц­ црём.­ “У­ ім­ вы­ б і­ р а­ л і­ Прэ­ з і­ д эн­ т а­ кра­ і н ­ ы­ —­ ці­ быў­ кі­ н у­ т ы­ бес­ п рэ­ ц э­ д энт­ н ы­ явіў­Прэ­ з а л бр ызі” цёў ся мнап ед, — та ход ы іі­пдрэнт. рж ая аў ын я е г кі М я а ож як

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ра ару ета вы­клік­ —­ вы­клік­ не­ад­на­ра­зо­ цэ жыт сі га адн ру нтр ныя сцін о з ва­ ад­пра­ца­ва­ных,­ без­ад­моў­ных­ лё скай дух Бял на важн тэх­на­ло­гій­ зні­шчэн­ня­ не­за­леж­ на ўшч , ад оўна ыні вітаю ых ных­дзяр­жаў.­Але­мы­апы­ну­лі­ся­ зн дзвы ыны метн сці чы, ць свят тво акам чай з бага ы к зямл вядо ста­ ў­лі­ку­вель­мі­ня­мно­гіх­—­на­ват,­ ц я ра рца іты пры тай уто і б мы нік святмо­жа­быць,­адзі­ныя,­—­дзе­“ка­ а за а па снёў мі. У сваі гожа гіст к М ела­ Бе лар Адмля­рчо­ ывая­ рэ­ва­лю­цыя”­ не­ ад­бы­ нік дста скія пэў мі т й пр оры агі­ ін таў в у н ы я а а с а с й е л ў у зр ст ны ен ро ры Жы і Ала­сіся.­ т І­н гэ­та­ вы­бар­ бе­ла­ру­саў,­ і Д д чн хар ндр рацы амес га азум ня п ля ко рэчы , гэ авіт дай, з ы якія­э ні­ ў­ якім­ ра­зе­ не­ хо­чуць­ е н ы ы л т б іс лів п ць, ьм жна — ыя мі дам юбо я й д Бял й Ку і Пр ік кір дзеі­да­ ўю ухстра­ ы ціць­кра­ нц эзіі­нд у”.­Тыя­па­ юц аліс огляд што енст га з доб ве­ і с Б в эвіч эн аў­ н оўнылні­ілчі­ аўпе­ і Б ь м я, за у я бел ва я удзе рая ра­ка­нац­ та ца,­ што­ бе­ла­ ты ята іх ялын азызво­ ваю я ка свае . ўн іц ны ацьк атчы ўсё ны н арус шчэ ль­ н к ай ін ш аб­сгіа­лют­най­ боль­шас­ці­ а а ру­сцы­ ў­ дл ска аўш на м ды і пр аў, раз цуд чэй”. пля сталя й зя ь “С тоўн ста­ м а лю­ б яць­ сваю­ зям­ лю,­ жа­да­юць­ я ц віт я наш рб м чына ова аб’я ытр яко­ в а с м л Бя тво Го оў алі і”. ю ці Лу альн чад ы п . І гэ , адзі дно ым­ У цук­ою­й­роск­ві­ту.­“Ня­ на ру,­спа­ чы лыніц рнуюсці цы “ёй­мі­ каш ым ка авін ты ны ўва ч зм н ін К піс най кай ік аг гле­ радзя­тчэы­асна­ е пад­штур­хоў­ван­ні­ энк сл ў”, — ны ка л ­ Бя ныя вай , га ону лі п й бе рак­ і, я ове зб ш ёс л па­д’я­баль­ску­ дас­ка­на­ а ку,­ кое ад гаво ера тоў­ За лыніц пало ны рмату Мазвон­ ці бачы ых ў ч Аля рыц гчы цьдзі­за­ха­ва­лі­па­ва­гу­адзін­ азё поль кага тны 1812 ча лыя,­лю­ Б асе кса ца ў ­Бі мас год соў ожай Па р, “ скі адк ндр да­ад­на­го”. р т пр дзев Каме крыж улі, ака В а, жы Ай­ ры а а га ічы нь , Кі­раў­нік­ дзяр­жа­вы­ ад­зна­ с ц­ юч ў ­лек кас тара ітоль ва­ Ё п ж к да што­ “Бо­жым­ про­мыс­лам­ цуд сц аю ра ар ад ы чыў,­ ” ны з с ь све “вад екцы з­п з с тна­ ям дч у ад і, д ад в ямі род­Бе­ла­ру­сі­лёг­ка­й­не­ча­ка­ і п анн Ф аве ёс на­зда­быў­сваю­не­за­леж­насць”.­ ера і, ш ядо дац кі ліч то ры ца На­яго­дум­ку,­тое­доў­га­ўспры­ ” ан ых перш. ма­ла­ся­ як­ да­дзе­насць­ і­ не­ ша­ , ік ы он на­ ва­ла­ся­ ча­сам,­ “сён­ня­ ж,­ вы­ Аляксандр Лукашэнка прыносіць прысягу пры заступленні на пасаду Прэзідэнта а

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Беларусь. Belarus Social and political magazine Belta

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№ 10 (1045), October, 2020 Published since 1930 Founders: Zviazda Publishing House editorial-and-publishing establishment Editor-in-Chief: Viktor Kharkov Executive Secretary: Valentina Zhdanovich Editorial office address: 220013 Minsk, Belarus, 10a Bogdan Khmelnitsky Street Tel.: +375 (17) 287-19-19, +375 (17) 292-66-92 Тel./fax: +375 (17) 287-15-26.

Regions are at the forefront

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an effective platform where topical issues of Belarusian-Russian cooperation were discussed in general, approaches to their solution and strengthening of partnership relations were developed. However, our peoples are united not only by the economy, but also by a common memory and historical legacy of the Great Victory. By the way, the plenary session of the forum was dedicated to this issue. Video messages were delivered by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin

When there is great demand for innovation The Belarusian Industrial and Investment Forum is an event which traditionally brings together representatives of science, industry and related industries. Over the course of several exhibition days, issues related to the development of engineering infrastructure and the introduction of innovative technologies into the real sector of the economy are discussed

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On the way to good neighborliness This year the forum was held for the first time online. But this did not interfere with the discussion, above all, of joint economic projects and the conclusion of new contracts. It is no exaggeration to say that the forum has become

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Main profit — quality of life Just recently, it was only cautiously pointed out that an impressive investment project was being prepared in Belarus. And here's the obvious fact: Minsk is starting to implement the project to build... a city

19 MUSEUM is 76 YEARS OLD!

www.zviazda.by E-mail: belarus.mag@mail.ru Subscription index — 74977 Registration Certificate No. 8issued on 16.07.2018,by the Information Ministry of the Republic of Belarus Design and Layout by Tatiana Storozhenko Liubov Malysheva Proof-reader Alisa Gungor Беларусь. Belarus is published in Belarusian, English and Chinese.

The magazine is distributed to 50 countries worldwide.

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© Zviazda Publishing House editorial-and-publishing establishment, 2020 On the front page of the cover the picture of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War

беларусь. belarus 2020

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"Versailles" in Zhilichi Finding your roots is one of the most important human needs. Today, few people know even about great-grandparents, let alone those ancestors who lived before.

Hence the interest in historical monuments, ancient manors and palaces. If it is difficult and sometimes impossible to find information about the fate of one's own ancestors, one can find out about the way people known to historians used to live on our land

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Pyotr Yelfimov: “Singing at home is a great honour for me” Pyotr Yelfimov — the golden voice of Belarus... Born to sing... Orpheus... Belarusian nightingale... One of the best voices in the

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Evgeny Pesetsky

39 world, a man with a beautiful soul...

A brilliant singer! Only angels in the paradise can sing like this! It is impossible to have seen and heard enough! Take care of him...

He is the property of the Republic...

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A view on art in the context of time

Viniamin Mikheyev

more in the issue 1

RETURN of THE Turov Cross

context

Achieving a positive trend

When there is great demand for innovation

The meeting of the national business councils was held at the venue of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The meeting was attended by representatives of all the Belarusian regions, as well as the Samara, Bryansk and Saratov Regions of Russia, and heads of several major enterprises.

By Alexander Pimenov

(See material from the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia on pages 4–7).

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— It is very important to see and solve specific problems faced by the enterprises of our countries, — said Vladimir Ulakhovich, Chairman of the Belarusian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. — It is obvious that everything cannot be resolved at once. However, the work of the two national business councils makes it possible to discuss problems coming off the ground, the most application-oriented and specific ones.

Last year, at a forum in St. Petersburg, questions were raised about the restrictions that arise for Belarusian enterprises as a result of the resolutions of the Russian government on the criteria for products manufactured in Russia and the labelling of goods. Today, specific work is being done in favour of Belarusian business on these issues.

There is also progress in removing the barriers faced by Belarusian enterprises when participating in public procurement in Russia — several dozens of our business entities have already entered the relevant Russian register. A number of problems have also been considered at this joint session of the Business Councils of Belarus and Russia.

— These are the issues of restrictions and exemptions, recognition of digital signatures, bank guarantees, industrial cooperation, digitalization of the economy, — Vladimir Ulakhovich lists.

And a very important point is the promotion of jointly manufactured products in the markets of third countries, which will be a serious test of industrial cooperation and business interaction. Recommendations on these areas will be prepared for government agencies of the two countries.

In general, it was noted at the joint meeting that the business world is determined to overcome some slowdown in mutual trade flows caused by the pandemic and to achieve positive dynamics by the end of the year. The conclusion of mutually beneficial contracts following the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia will also contribute to this.

The Belarusian Industrial and Investment Forum is an event which traditionally brings together representatives of science, industry and related industries. Over the course of several exhibition days, issues related to the development of engineering infrastructure and the introduction of innovative technologies into the real sector of the economy are discussed. In addition, Belarusian enterprises and guests from other countries demonstrate their novelties. The business programme includes symposiums, conferences, exchanges, seminars, which unlock the potential of the sectors and are aimed at finding practical recommendations on creating the conditions for their development.

This time this large-scale event was traditionally held at the football arena, as before. It hosted the first International Forum on smartening the real sector of the economy, SMART INDUSTRY EXPO, and the 23rd International Exhibition of Technologies and Innovations in Industry, TechnoProm. In addition, it also hosted the international specialized exhibitions “Chemistry. Oil and Gas”, “Profsvarka”, “Polymers and Composites”. In total, this allowed hundreds of exhibitors and forum participants to gather on one platform.

(Continued on page 17)

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Forum

On the way to good neighborliness The 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia took place in Minsk This year the forum was held for the first time online. But this did not interfere with the discussion, above all, of joint economic projects and the conclusion of new contracts. It is no exaggeration to say that the forum has become an effective platform where topical issues of Belarusian-Russian cooperation were discussed in general, approaches to their solution and strengthening of partnership relations were developed. However, our peoples are united not only by the economy, but also by a common memory and historical legacy of the Great Victory. By the way, the plenary session of the forum was dedicated to this issue. Video messages were delivered by the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the President of Russia Vladimir Putin.

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n his speech at the plenary session of the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, Alexander Lukashenko said, in particular, that the format of such regional interaction is very effective.

Over six years, over 300 agreements have been signed, contracts worth over two billion US dollars have been concluded.

“I am confident that this summit will not yield to the previous ones on all the issues, — said the President of Belarus. — History confirms that only together, can we achieve significant results. We are rightly proud of the fact that the Belarusians and Russians, together with other peoples of the USSR, made a decisive contribution to the victory over fascism. Therefore, today we recollect the sacred event for all of us — the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War”.

Alexander Lukashenko reminded that our peoples had suffered huge losses during that war. Only Belarus lost its every third resident. Over the years of occupation German invaders destroyed 209 out of 270 Belarusian towns and district centres, almost two thousand villages. “We fought for every piece of our native land, — said the President of Belarus. — A nationwide resistance movement unfolded in the republic. Even children fought against fascists. As a result, at the end of 1943 about 60 % of the country's territory was under control of the people's vigilantes”.

It is obvious that the memory of that war is cherished in Belarus and Russia. Even in the smallest village there is an obelisk with

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a red star. None of them has been abandoned or disappeared from the face of the earth. “We are still erecting monuments today, — reminded the President of Belarus. — For example, the Memorial Complex “Trostenets” was erected near Minsk, on the site where the Nazi concentration camp used to be located. In terms of the number of people killed, this is the fourth death factory in Europe after Auschwitz, Majdanek and Treblinka. More than 200.000 people fell victim to it. That is why we cannot calmly watch the attempts of some countries to rewrite history, to belittle the feat of the Soviet people and question the decisive contribution of the Soviet Union to the victory over fascist Germany and its allies”.

Alexander Lukashenko thanked his Russian colleagues for their initiative, expressed at the Inter-Parliamentary Union session, to recognize the Victory in 2nd World War as the World Heritage of Humanity, and monuments to the fighters against Nazism in all countries as the World Memorial of Humanity.

It is obvious that falsification of history is a real threat to the stability of society and carries the risks of national, social and confessional controversy. Therefore, as noted by the President of Belarus, it is extremely important to discuss at the forum joint measures to counteract the distortion of the truth about the war: “Together we must intensify work to draft a new UN General Assembly resolution on “Combating glorification of Nazism, neoNazism and other practices that contribute to the escalation of

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Alexander Lukashenko

Vladimir Putin

contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance”.

But the effort will be in vain if the baton of memory is not passed on to the youth. Sometimes, by means of the latest technology, false values are imposed on the younger generation, i. e. the cult of consumption, individualism, social irresponsibility. “This is alien to the traditions and worldview of our peoples, which are based on unity, solidarity and willingness to help each other, — concluded Alexander Lukashenko. — I am pleased to note that this work is under the spotlight of union parliamentarians. The Youth Chamber created at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia actively involves young people into bilateral cooperation. But we need to make this activity more specific, assertive and effective”.

Today, the leading higher education institutions of the two countries are implementing a number of joint educational and scientific projects, and are publishing training manuals by joint efforts.

Around 11.000 Belarusians study at Russian universities and more than 1.500 Russians study in the Republic of Belarus. Meanwhile, cooperation in education can be developed even more actively through student exchanges, internships, forums and conferences, student teams. Since 2000, more than 50 programmes of the Union State have been implemented to develop technologies and create innovative products. A dialogue has been established between the High Technologies Park and Skolkovo Innovation Centre. And the priority task is to maintain this momentum. It is obvious, that within the framework of the upcoming forums, their participants should pay more attention to cooperation in the information space and provision of information security of the Union State.

The President of Belarus reminded that an Agreement on Mutual Recognition of Visas was signed in June 2020, the implementation of which will increase the transit, tourism and investment attractiveness of the two countries. The governments managed to find a compromise on the issues of oil supply this year, construction of the BelNPP, changes in the terms of state lending. At the same time, a lot of problems are still to be solved. One of the main tasks is to create equal conditions for Belarusian and Russian business entities. “We are ready to discuss all the proposals that will strengthen general economic security, — said Alexander

Lukashenko. — However, it is important to remember that we will not make serious progress if we do not consistently fulfill our obligations. The position of Belarus has been and remains stable and predictable, it is focused on mutually beneficial cooperation. I am sure that in this situation the voice of the forum will be heard by the governments of both countries and it will contribute to the solution of these problems. I believe that the summit will make a significant contribution to our common noble cause of defending historical truth, preserving and multiplying traditional values and ideals. I am deeply convinced that Belarusian-Russian relations will continue to develop consistently and dynamically. This is what our brotherly peoples are interested in”. n turn, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, in his message of greetings to the participants of the plenary session of the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia, noted that Russia and Belarus were not only consistently deepening multifaceted bilateral ties, but were also purposefully implementing the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State. The countries are also actively participating in the activities of the Eurasian Economic Union.

“We are jointly tackling the issues of defence construction, counteracting acute modern challenges and threats, including within the framework of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation, — said the Head of the Russian State. — And now, taking into account the difficult situation that the Republic of Belarus has found itself in, including the unprecedented external pressure after the presidential elections, I would like to repeat once again: the relations between Russia and Belarus are not subject to either time or situation, they have a solid foundation, because our states are united by strong cultural and spiritual ties rooted in centuries, extensive family and kinship ties, a common joint history. It seems very important and logical that this year the significance of the historical legacy of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War in the year of its 75th anniversary has become a keynote of the plenary session of your forum. We will never forget our fathers and grandfathers defending their native land, liberating Europe, we have firmly defended and will continue to defend the historical truth about that war, its causes, results and lessons…”.

Vladimir Putin also emphasised the fact that the forum traditionally considers the whole range of issues of interaction between

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Forum Russia and Belarus: in politics, economy, industrial cooperation, high technologies, cultural and humanitarian sphere. And yet, in his opinion, the priority areas of cooperation between Russian and Belarusian regions are trade and investment: “Every year during the forum numerous transactions are concluded and contracts worth hundreds of millions of US dollars are signed. As a result, last year our mutual trade turnover amounted to 35.5 billion US dollars…”. peaking at the plenary session of the forum, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko stressed that today attempts are being made to revise, and falsify the history and the results of the Great Patriotic War: — There are those who wish to remake and divide the modern world in a new way, to incite mutual distrust and hostility, to divide people. There are fierce information attacks against Belarus and Russia. They want to make us, the descendants of the victorious heroes, feel guilty and almost make excuses for our fathers and grandfathers who, at the cost of their own lives, provided peace for humanity. And this is part of a planned policy: not just to revise historical memory, but to break the collective mentality of the people.

What is it done for? The opinion of Roman Golovchenko is as follows: — To destroy memory, to break the inner core — and then, with the help of discord and chaos, perhaps, to put our countries under external control. Many people do not like the independence of Belarus. We were shaken up for more than a year or two, tried out, a variety of methods of “colour revolutions” were used. Belarus has faced not just pressure, in fact, attempts to undermine our society from within. t is only possible to resist these outside attacks together. In particular, by strengthening the humanitarian component of the Union State. Valentina Matviyenko, Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of Russia, noted: — This effect is visible and significant, i. e. deepening mutual understanding and trust between our peoples, mutual spiritual enrichment, establishment of friendly relations and contacts between people. The Union of our States is based on a solid foundation.

It reliably resists any attempts to shake it, to start the process of distancing Belarus and Russia. It is important to stand together against attempts to distort history, to preserve the truth about the war, to pass it on to future generations. Here too, the Russian and Belarusian peoples are on the same wavelength. he Deputy Prime Minister of Belarus Igor Petrishenko is convinced that the theme of the Great Patriotic War should preserve its uttermost importance in the state youth policy of the two countries.

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— It is necessary to take measures to upgrade the presentation of the theme of the Great Patriotic War in the educational process in the following directions: to modernize teaching aids, to widely introduce interactive technologies, to include in the curricula and plans mandatory visits to memorable places connected with the events of the war.

The potential of the International Association of Museums of the Second World War and the International Committee at the Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Hill should be used to the full in the promotion of patriotism of young people. The potential of memorial sites in Belarus and Russia should be used more actively. Joint search work at sites where Red Army soldiers and civilians were killed also needs a new impetus. In addition, communication with veterans is very important, summed up Igor Petrishenko:

— Communicating with them is a valuable source for young people. This information must be recorded and stored. n this regard, Valentina Baranova's speech was the most lifeaffirming and heartfelt. The participants listened to the 96‑yearold veteran standing up, her speech was interrupted several times with applause. Valentina Petrovna spoke about the activities of the Grodno veteran organisation and shared her experience in living up to these years: — Have a little less rest.

The veteran recollected the graduation party on the eve of June 22, 1941 and the dreams of her classmates: what they we going to be. Valentina Baranova noted that she went to the front to fight for one huge country. She, who liberated Ukraine and Poland and reached Berlin, still remembers the words which sounded at the rally at the end of the war: a Soviet soldier does not fight with women, children, the old, the sick or the wounded.

Deputy Chairman of the Standing Commission of the Council of the Republic on Education, Science, Culture and Social Devel-

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Forum opment Andrey Ivanets, Chief Scientific Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, stated that in recent years many publications had appeared, the basic motive of which was not to deepen our knowledge about that heroic and tragic period, but only the desire for indiscriminate vilification, revision of historical events: “States must pass the civilisation test by understanding the depth of the feat of those who saved mankind from the brown plague. Our task is to prevent the revision of the results of the Great Patriotic War and the oblivion of the great mission of the Soviet people”.

Igor Lutsky, Minister of Information, also spoke about security, but informational. The Minister called for a serious approach to ensuring information security in the Union State media sphere.

In his opinion, instead of peaceful construction the time has come to defend ourselves resolutely and counterattack: “We are ready

to discuss the formation of a common security field in the mass media sphere, first of all in the context of resisting external information aggression and media support of each other”. rigory Rapota, State Secretary of the Union State, listed the main achievements of the Union State in the economy, social, labour and scientific spheres and stressed that it was necessary to move forward: — We live in a rapidly changing world. We are already talking about the fifth technological revolution, 5G technologies, allround digitalization and artificial intelligence. And our future will depend on how effectively we, the Union State members, react to these processes, do not get out of them, are not among the catchup countries.

In Grigory Rapota's view, the unifying projects for the future could become the construction of a high-speed railway that will connect St. Petersburg and Minsk with access to Europe, the Meridian motorway (from China to Europe via Russia and Belarus. — Auth.), the development of the Arctic and a number of other ideas.

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The largest integration project was the construction of a nuclear power plant in Belarus, said Alexey Overchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia: — This project is designed for decades, it symbolises the special, trusting nature of Russian-Belarusian cooperation. Along with the direct task of supplying the Belarusian economy with electricity, the NPP will become a catalyst for interaction in hightech industries, promoting modern research developments in both applied and basic science.

Speaking about cooperation in the economy, Alexey Overchuk pointed out that Belarus ranks first among Russia's foreign trade partners in the CIS: — In 2019 the volume of trade turnover exceeded 35.5 billion US dollars. Of course, the coronavirus pandemic has made adjustments to these figures, but we have every opportunity to return our economic relations to the trajectory of trade growth by the end of the year.

The main vector of the Minsk region’s foreign economic and humanitarian contacts is focused on Russia's regions. According to the Chairman of the Minsk Regional Council of Deputies Natalya Yakubitskaya, 35 % of the products of the Minsk Region are exported to Russia (in the first half of the year it has reached more than 2 billion US dollars). The deputy emphasized: “Our future is the development of cooperation ties and the implementation of joint projects. Millions of Russians and thousands of Belarusians are employed in joint industrial and co-operation chains. And this is extremely important, because it involves wages, jobs and social guarantees”. t the plenary session the parties During the forum signed the draft final document which will be supplemented by the instructions of the presidents of Belarus and Russia, as well as numerous initiatives and proposals made at the forum. The agreements were signed between the governments of Belarus and Bashkortostan, the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic, the Komi Republic, the Samara Region, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District and the administration of the Kursk Region on cooperation in trade and economic, scientific and technical, social and cultural spheres.

In addition, an action plan for 2020–2021 between the governments of Belarus and the Stavropol Territory of Russia to implement the agreement on trade, economic, scientific, technological, social and cultural cooperation was agreed upon and approved.

Summing up the results of the 7th Forum of Regions, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko said that about 70 agreements on cooperation and commercial contracts worth over 700 million US dollars had been signed.

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By Vladimir Khromov.

Photo by BelTA.

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Partnership

Regions are at the forefront Belarusian-Russian cooperation with an emphasis on regions was also in the focus of attention at the Independence Palace, where the day before Alexander Lukashenko discussed the prospects of partnership with a number of Russian governors. These visits to the country have become a good opportunity for the guests to specify the areas of mutual and beneficial interest. Especially in the context of the 7th Forum of Regions of Belarus and Russia.

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Chronologically first was the meeting of the President with the Governor of Primorsky Krai Oleg Kozhemyako at the Palace of Independence. The politicians have known each other for a long time; many important projects have been implemented in the past decade. Last summer, during Oleg Kozhemyako's visit to Minsk, the Head of State awarded him the Order of Honour, which once again confirms the strength and reliability of ties. On the eve, Alexander Lukashenko said: — We often remember our Fatherland “from Brest to Vladivostok”. So you live in our Fatherland, and we will always develop cooperation.

At the meeting, the Head of State announced his plans to visit the Far Eastern region of Russia.

One of the reasons may be the participation of Belarusian builders in the construction of the Vostochny spaceport.

— I would like to visit if we make an agreement. I would like to see our builders start work and visit this region as far as Kamchatka. I would like to see what this region really is like. So I think next year we will see each other there, — added the President.

Oleg Kozhemyako

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Alexander Lukashenko noted that Belarus was ready to participate in the construction of the spaceport. The President emphasized that the Belarusian construction industry was competitive both in terms of the quality of services provided and their cost: — It is unlikely that even the Japanese will surpass us there or the Koreans.

The President also said that the Belarusian side was ready to do everything possible to deepen cooperation with Primorsky Krai: — Although you are geographically far away, there are many kilometres between us, we do not regard Vladivostok as some distant and foreign city. If you need help that we can provide (you know our capabilities), we are always ready to get involved.

Alexander Lukashenko noted good personal relations with Oleg Kozhemyako, who, having been the Governor of various regions of Russia, always maintained contacts with Belarus.

— Wherever you work, we will always do what is necessary for your region, — the Head of State assured. He also noted the established direct ties between Primorsky Krai of Russia and the Mogilev Region of Belarus.

The President proposed to increase supplies of domestic equipment and technologies to the region, while providing warranty and service support. The Belarusian side is also ready to offer favourable conditions for financing, he said. The Head of State also considers promising the deliveries of municipal electric transport to Primorye.

The meeting touched upon cooperation in the agro-industrial sector as well.

The possible export of Belarusian dairy and

meat products, baby food, supply of seeds and planting material was also discussed.

The Far Eastern delegation, which had been working in Belarus for several days, visited factories, agricultural enterprises of the Mogilev Region and Minsk. Speaking with the President about it, the Russian guest shared his plans for cooperation: — We have decided to present Belarusian consumer goods in all major cities through the Belarus Trade House. We have already selected the investors who will benefit.

By the way, this project was discussed in detail during the Belagro agro-industrial exhibition, which was held in Minsk in those days.

Meanwhile, last year Belarus and Primorsky Krai sold goods for 19.2 million US dollars. This year in January-July, trade turnover exceeded 9 million US dollars, having increased by 17 % compared to the same period last year. Oleg Kozhemyako sees the potential for even greater development of trade and economic relations: — It is very important for us to move to the level of cooperation that would allow our residents to see as many Belarusian goods as possible on the shelves. To make more use of the best practices of machine builders that exist in Belarus: we have actually seen new technologies, new products that meet the latest global developments and standards. People in Primorye always have a good attitude to goods from Belarus, they are confident of their high quality.

Later, while communicating with journalists, the Russian governor added that the experience of Belarusian builders would be in demand when constructing

Partnership the Vostochny spaceport. He noted that state construction organizations had been preserved in our country: — This is a certain brand, so their use in the construction of the Vostochny spaceport by the decision of the presidents will be a good step forward, which will readjust our builders to a certain level of high technology.

In addition, it is planned to expand the representative office of Minsk Amkodor Holding — this was also agreed upon. The Far Eastern delegation was interested in Minsk electric buses and new generation buses: there are no such buses in Primorye yet.

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Just a few days after this meeting, the heads of the Leningrad and Irkutsk Regions were guests at the Independence Palace. Once again, Alexander Lukashenko expressed his conviction that those were interregional ties that cemented the interaction between Belarus and Russia as a whole: — I am very grateful to the governors for your help in preserving Belarusian-Russian relations… You know our capabilities well, we are very interested in cooperation with you.

The main news from the meeting between the President and Governor of the Leningrad Region, Alexander Drozdenko, was, undoubtedly, the Head of State's statement on Minsk's readiness for port cooperation. He drew attention to the fact that today in Belarus there is an active discussion of changes in logistics of supplies to foreign markets, practical steps are being taken in this direction. Alexander Lukashenko suggested: — Ports are the Leningrad Region.

Therefore, we need to come to an agreement at any cost. There is one question: railway tariffs and transshipment in ports.

It was noted that this topic had been discussed at the recent meeting of the Presidents of Belarus and Russia in Sochi: — I told him (Vladimir Putin. — Auth.) that we can cooperate with Leningrad citizens and build a berthing complex there. He supported this idea, and I even suggested

him a financial solution. Everything we save at the nuclear power plant, which is being built with a loan from the Russian Federation, we are ready to invest in the port, in the construction of a terminal there. So if you have a desire, we will be very pleased to be able to implement this joint project. This issue must definitely be promoted.

At the meeting Alexander Lukashenko also reminded that Belarusians and Leningrad citizens were historically connected: — The people of Leningrad and the Leningrad Region did a lot to raise our Minsk from the ruins. That is why today, you, as successors to those people, must look at the city wisely and say: are we keeping it in order or are there any comments?

You helped us build the metro, scientists from your region came to Belarus to develop science. As far as the eye can reach, everything is connected with Petersburg.

We remember it. I speak about it very often.

And in general, Belarusians are more like the people of Leningrad, from our northern

Alexander Drozdenko

capital. That is why we have such good feelings about you.

The Head of State is convinced that Belarusian opportunities for interaction are well known in the Leningrad Region: — We are very interested in working with you. When we can't do it with Moscow, I always say: more than five million people live in St. Petersburg, and there is the Leningrad Region with a huge number of people. Enough for the whole trade turnover with the Russian Federation if we manage to establish good cooperation.

Alexander Lukashenko sees options for joint work in various areas: — I am grateful that you — Leningrad citizens and St. Petersburgers — have re-

sponded to our requests. We have cooperated with you and will continue to do so…

We are ready to repay by good. We are ready to do a lot for your area.

At the same time, the President drew attention to the fact that in some areas we compete with each other, but there are always options for combining efforts: — The Leningrad Region provides agricultural products and other things to Petersburg. Maybe not in full, which is good.

We are ready to add up to this volume to meet Petersburg's needs in full measure.

And our opportunities for the Leningrad Region in agricultural engineering, lifts, I know, are very interesting for you. We are also ready to help develop agriculture in the Leningrad Region.

Fish farming is well developed in the Leningrad Region. The most modern fodder, which has already been produced by the Belarusian National Biotechnology Corporation, can come in handy here. Cooperation in the fish industry itself also has prospects.

Alexander Drozdenko, Governor of the Leningrad Region, said that the Leningrad Region and Belarus are like-minded. Like the people of Leningrad, the Belarusians went through a very difficult period during the Great Patriotic War. Many Belarusian cities were wiped off from the face of the earth, and the majority of settlements in the Leningrad Region were wiped out too: — We remember this and will never forget it. Laying flowers at the Victory Monument, which speaks about the heroism of Belarusians and Belarus during the Great Patriotic War, I experienced great brotherly feelings. This is indeed our great history, and we honor and preserve it sacred. And thank you very much for that.

The governor called the topic of transfer of the Belarusian transit, supply of Belarusian cargo through the ports of the Gulf of Finland in the Leningrad Region, which was touched upon by the Head of State at the talks with his Russian counterpart, important for both sides. He explained this to the journalists: — We have the most powerful port complexes. One of the most powerful is the port of Ust-Luga, where over one hundred million tons of cargo is transshipped. Today

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Partnership we mentioned that modern logistics must be built. It is clear that we need attractive railway tariffs and stevedoring services so that it would be profitable for Belarusian cargo to be transshipped through our port complexes.

According to Alexander Drozdenko, the joint development of the project has recently been discussed with the Russian Minister of Transport and the Head of Russian Railways.

The joint port is a real project and it is important to define the details of the plan: — It is very important to understand what kind of port it should be. It could be a universal port, or for some specific cargo.

The price of the construction will depend on this.

The governor added that the cost may vary from 2.5 to 25 billion Russian rubles depending on the project. At the same time three new terminals are being built in Ust-Luga: for universal cargo, mineral fertilisers and rolling stock, and container cargo. For this reason, Alexander Drozdenko suggested that the Belarusian side should consider joining the JSC for the construction of these terminals — this will also make future services cheaper.

Alexander Drozdenko informed the President of Belarus about the growing trade turnover. The main thing is what both sides are striving for; it is growing mutually, goes in counter-flows: — As of August 1, we have already bought more agricultural machinery than for the entire year 2019. One of the reasons is that for our manufacturers we subsidize the purchase of Belarusian equipment from the Leningrad Region budget by 35 per cent. The same subsidy is provided for the purchase of Russian equipment.

And we do not use this form of subsidy for any other countries.

According to the Governor, there is a lot of Belarusian equipment in the region, Leningrad residents are satisfied with the combination of its price and quality, as well as good service base. Therefore, it is not reasonable to change the machines for other models: — We are purchasing machinery for forestry. And recently, very good machinery has been produced by you. We have started buying heavy road equipment. Only

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at the expense of the Leningrad Region budget we have planned to purchase more than 100 units in 2021.

Alexander Drozdenko considers cooperation in bus transport an equally important area.

— In particular, we are planning to purchase up to one and a half thousand combined buses for the Leningrad Region. The first hundred buses will be purchased in the first quarter of next year, the governor added.

Traditionally, Belarus and the Leningrad Region cooperate in agriculture: pedigree cattle are brought to us and seeds are taken from us. We are planning to expand cooperation in this sector.

Suitable for the occasion was our proposal about purchasing feed for fish farming. The consumer market for fish products is 5.5 million Petersburgers and 1.9 million residents of the region, so the industry is on the rise. According to the governor, there is only one problem: — We lack universal feeds. It is just today that Belarusian companies have developed universal feeds for fish farming. We want to sign a contract and be among the first to buy them.

And next year, we have declared the Year of Clean Water in the Leningrad Region. The Leningrad Region plans to buy cleaning installations from us. These are exclusive developments of Belarusian scientists. More than a dozen such units are already working in the region. There are no complaints.

Economic impulse

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During his meeting with the governor of the Irkutsk Region of the Russian Federation, Igor Kobzev, the President of Belarus said that regional cooperation had created a foundation on which it was possible to meet the challenges of economic sustainability today. This includes the framework of the Union State: — We have a very well-developed industry in Russia and Belarus. Agriculture is very well developed in Russia and Belarus. We can feed and dress people, unlike the Soviet Union, when hungry people were queueing.

We have enough resources. We have a good scientific, technical and practical base. What

do we lack? We were discussing this topic in Sochi (with President Putin). We simply never raised a question in this light. That is why we need to get together, outline general plans and act in this direction, provide our people with everything they need.

This is what Alexander Lukashenko said about the importance of the visit of the Governor of the Irkutsk Region to Belarus:

Igor Kobzev

— After all, the Irkutsk Region is a giant in Russia. It is a stronghold region in Siberia. We have a lot of plans and a lot of issues have been practically resolved. In some issues we just need to shake things up.

In particular, the President drew attention to the need to intensify work on joint production of lifts in the Irkutsk Region.

Our mining equipment, dump trucks, trucks and public transport are also in demand there. Alexander Lukashenko assured the guest that Minsk would always respond to initiatives of mutually beneficial cooperation in all areas.

Speaking about trade and economic cooperation, Igor Kobzev said that the Irkutsk Region was a special region, for Belarus as well. Last year we made a significant leap in mutual trade, approaching the amount of 300 million US dollars. And four years ago we started with only 70 million. However, this year's figures are a bit lower due to objective reasons. Now it is time to make up for lost time. The Russian governor said that on the first day of his visit, he received several interesting proposals: — Let's see where we can strengthen our cooperation in order to develop. There are activities on both sides.

After his meeting with Alexander Lukashenko, the Russian governor talked to journalists and told them what attracts Siberians in Belarus:

Partnership — The first area is related to the development of agriculture. We are interested in it, we see the prospects for good, long-term cooperation. The second is that we will definitely visit Belarusian tree nurseries. The Irkutsk Region is interested in large-scale reforestation. We are developing this area not only as an ecological one, but also consider it to be national. We have two unique natural landmarks — Siberian taiga and Lake Baikal.

The third area is municipal equipment and vehicles. During the visit, the Russian delegation also held talks with the Government and visited MTZ, MAZ and a number of other enterprises.

Under the sign of pragmatism and sincere friendship

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On the first day of the forum the President of Belarus met with the governors of the Pskov and Omsk Regions. The regions differ in their potential and geography: Omsk is seven times farther from Minsk than Pskov. However, all this takes second place when it comes to close peoples. Alexander Lukashenko drew special attention to this point, emphasizing that Belarus, in cooperation with Russian regions, does not rely solely on pragmatic economic interests:

Mikhail Vedernikov

— If we have good spiritual relations, closeness of our people who live on both sides of the conventional border, the economy will come. The economy will always be there if people strive for it with heart and soul.

At first, the delegation from the Pskov Region headed by Governor Mikhail Vedernikov came to the Independence Palace.

The President said that Belarus was ready to cooperate with the region in all areas, from

passenger and cargo equipment supplies, lifts to agriculture. However, Alexander Lukashenko did not spend time on enumerating the opportunities that Belarus has. The leadership of the Pskov Region is well aware of them. Especially since the day before the guests visited the agro-town Mazolovo in the Vitebsk Region and took part in the regional festival and fair for rural workers “Dozhinki‑2020”.

— You are also close to us because we know your land well: our Vitebsk Region is just like your region. It is good that you cooperate with the Vitebsk Region. If something is missing, if there is not enough movement on our part, tell us, — Alexander Lukashenko said. According to him, the Belarusian side is ready to offer the Pskov Region wide range of automotive vehicles and lift equipment, agricultural products, its technologies in agriculture. In short, anything our neighbours may wish.

Having thanked the Head of State for the hospitable reception, Mikhail Vedernikov noted: — We have longstanding good friendly and neighbourly relations with Belarus, but it is absolutely obvious that under current circumstances it is important to give a new impetus to the development of our economy.

The delegation of the Pskov Region included about 30 specialists in the areas of our successful cooperation or which may be promising, informed the Russian Governor: — Belarus is our key foreign economic, foreign trade partner. This partnership accounts for 35 % of the trade turnover. Close mutually beneficial cooperation has been established in many areas, first of all, in engineering, transport and agriculture. Our enterprises actively purchase Belarusian equipment — agricultural, road, passenger buses, boiler equipment.

The Head of the Russian Region stressed that the current visit was especially relevant, because due to the global epidemiological situation the trade turnover had decreased by almost 20 %. But, judging by the plans, the parties are quickly catching up. In particular, Pskov residents have already ordered 17 low-floor buses and are working on plans for future purchases. By

the way, the guests could see for themselves how the production works.

According to Mikhail Vedernikov, among the areas of cooperation there is the purchase of agricultural machinery, the delegation got acquainted with its samples at “Dozhinki” in the Vitebsk Region: — Very interesting experience. German quality equipment is taken as a basis, but Belarusian designers and engineers have adapted it to our natural and climatic conditions. That is why our agrarians are now studying its technical characteristics with great interest.

The Head of the Region told journalists that the largest school in Pskov had been built by Belarusian construction organisations. And construction is another major area of cooperation.

— Belarusians are famous for the quality of construction. We have a large number of facilities under construction, so there is a field for cooperation. This factor will also increase internal competition, it will keep our construction companies on their toes, - said Mikhail Vedernikov.

The Pskov delegation got acquainted with the Belarusian concept of rural life during their visit to the Vitebsk Region.

Impressions are the most favourable: — We need to structure our work in such a way that rural life is based on this algorithm.

According to the governor, the only way to keep a rural resident, especially a young specialist, is by providing the opportunities for development and good living conditions: — In the agro-town Mazolovo, we have just seen such synergy, where there is a decent salary, modern working conditions and comfortable living. It is no surprise that specialists from all over the Vitebsk Region come there.

Mikhail Vedernikov also reminded that Pskov State University and three Belarusian universities had signed agreements on cooperation and strategic partnership. The main area of interest is training of healthcare personnel: — Unfortunately, today we have a deficit of almost 50 %, and you have a very good educational base. And we would love to cooperate with you in this regard.

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Partnership

Potential for cooperation

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The Head of State also began his communication with the Governor of the Omsk Region, Alexander Burkov, by saying that he was pleased to see another Siberian governor visiting (just a week before, the governors of Primorsky Krai and the Irkutsk Region visited the Independence Palace. — Auth.):

Alexander Burkov

— You know our attitude to Siberians well. Not only because a lot of Belarusians went there in due time. And I think you don't have any problems with them. Belarusians have always been hardworking, responsible people. I think that's what they are like there, in Siberia.

The President also spoke about his personal attitude to the region, saying he intended to visit it soon.

Last year, Belarus and the Omsk Region trade turnover reached more than 87 million US dollars. This year, for some known reasons, the figures are slightly lower. However, even without this decline, the trade turnover between us is not what it could be and should be, Alexander Lukashenko believes. Omsk is the second largest city in Siberia in terms of population and a major industrial centre, so the potential for cooperation is much greater than it seems.

The Belarusian leader outlined a promising goal: — I think our trade turnover should reach 100 million US dollars, that’s our aim.

Some similarities between Belarus and the Omsk Region were also noted by Alexander Lukashenko, in particular, difficult climatic conditions. Of course, our climate is

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less severe than in Siberia, but we have our own characteristics, the President remarked: — We live in the zone of risky agriculture, but nevertheless, we have acquired some skills in agriculture. We are ready to share them with you.

All the more so because Belarus already has successful experience of cooperation in the agricultural sector with the eastern regions of Russia, in particular, with Sakhalin. Belarus is ready to establish assembly facilities and service centres for our equipment in the Omsk Region.

— If you have a desire to cooperate with Belarus in any areas, we are always ready and you should know about it, — the President concluded.

Before discussing the areas of cooperation, the Governor of Omsk congratulated Alexander Lukashenko on taking office: — Russians and Belarusians have always been spiritually close peoples united by one history and one destiny. And you have correctly said that today there are a lot of Belarusians living in the Omsk Region, officially over 6.000 people. And several tens of thousands more are the people with Belarusian roots. It is very important that they preserve their Belarusian identity.

As for trade, in the Omsk Region the products of Gomselmash, MTZ, MAZ, Gomel­a gro­k omplekt, Mogilev­l iftmash, Atlant and Gefest are sold. The volume of purchases is growing: within eight months, 224 agricultural machinery units were purchased there for a total of 600 million roubles.

— According to our forecasts, we will reach 800 million roubles by the end of the year. We are subsidizing the purchase of Belarusian equipment: grain harvesters — 20 %, fodder processing plants — 30 %, dryers and thrashing facilities — 50 %. Your equipment is so reliable and easy to operate and maintain that it attracts our farmers, — said Alexander Burkov.

Cooperation in the field of petro-chemistry is particularly important in the industry. More than 100 million US dollars have been invested in the Omsk Carbon Mogilev plant (located in the FEZ “Mogilev”). The company has already provided 400 highly qualified jobs with the planned 700.

Supplies of agricultural machinery is a driving force in agriculture, the governor said: — We have agreed on the main thing: to increase the localisation of Polesie harvester production, they are now assembled in the Omsk Region. In the future, we need to see how to expand the range of supply of agricultural machinery in our region.

The equipment is not finicky and is easy to operate and repair. The demand for agricultural equipment is very high.

Belarus and the Omsk Region are separated by 3.500 kilometres, but there are agricultural products on the shelves of Siberian shops — including branded Belarusian shops. Seven of them have been opened in Omsk alone. But, as they say, not by bread alone: it was agreed at the meeting to cooperate in the field of culture. The Governor proposed a project of the State Omsk Russian Folk Choir and the Omsk Philharmonic Society “Revelations of the History of Russia”, a play on the works of Vasily Surikov. The President got interested and promised to provide an appropriate venue.

The topic of sports was also touched upon at the meeting. According to Alexander Burkov, the only indoor cycle track over the Urals is in Omsk: — We proposed that the CIS Cup should be held between the Siberian regions and Belarus. You have a very strong team in track cycling, and the joint competition process is important for our athletes.

They will straighten out to your level.

Alexander Burkov also expressed his hope that in the final of the CHL championship hockey fans will see a rivalry between Omsk Avangard and Minsk Dinamo.

A good leap forward

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The meeting between the President and the Governor of the Bryansk Region, Alexander Bogomaz, was the final in a series of meetings with the heads of a number of Russian regions. As we know, the heads of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation began to arrive in Minsk on the eve of the 7th Forum of Regions of the two countries. By the way, the Forum proved to be a record-breaking event in terms of the amount of contracts

Partnership concluded. And Minsk is already declaring its interest in moving forward. And the words said by Alexander Lukashenko to the guest can be addressed to every Russian governor, and they concern, obviously, interstate cooperation as a whole: — We are ready to go deeper and further than the usual exchange of goods. We need to deal more with technology, science.

Bryansk, Omsk, Irkutsk, the Leningrad and Amur Regions… The geography of the partnership is broad, as well as its content.

The trade is increasingly complemented by the organisation of joint ventures that are already underway or are intended to be serious infrastructure projects. For example, the idea of joint work in ports on the Gulf of Finland or the participation of Belarusian specialists in the construction of the Vostochny spaceport in the Far East.

Each of the governors comes with specific proposals which imply significant econo­ mic benefits.

Alexander Bogomaz

By the way, progress in economic indicators of cooperation is taking shape with the majority of regions, the heads of which met with Alexander Lukashenko. Russian markets are gradually opening up after a prolonged recession caused by objective factors.

This upturn promises significant benefits both for Russia and Belarus, as one of the main economic partners. It is no coincidence that Russian President Vladimir Putin recently spoke about the need to intensify interregional cooperation, direct economic ties between territories and business entities during the meeting with Alexander Lukashenko in Sochi. It is obvious, that it stimulated the record-breaking effectiveness of the Forum of Regions, which was highlighted by the Head of the Belarusian State: — Still, contracts for

more than 750 million US dollars are a good contribution to the Belarusian economy.

This is significant for Russia as well. All the more so because one should bear in mind the subsequent effect of these contracts. This is people's work and wages… And it is good that in these conditions — both coronavirus and others, aggravation of the international situation, you see what is going on around the perimeter — we have found ways not just to get closer, but to interact, which brings tangible economic benefits. This is why the Forum of Regions and this form of work in general yields positive results. Before that, we concluded contracts for more than two billion US dollars at these forums. And at this forum, almost half of the contracts concluded at the six previous ones. It's a good leap forward.

As for bilateral interaction with the Bryansk Region, Alexander Lukashenko noted that Belarus' capabilities were well known there.

We are working together in a wide range of areas. The President drew attention to the fact that Russia was currently facing a shortage of manpower in construction. Belarusians are traditionally ready to give a hand: — I know that you are implementing very large programmes. There are many of them in agriculture, road and housing construction. If we can be of any use to you, we will be grateful if you invite us, and outline a block somewhere and say: this needs to be designed and built turnkey. We will do it for you, just like we do it in other areas. I would like you to see the complex turnkey construction of Belarus. As an example of the high level of road construction, Alexander Lukashenko named modernised roads connecting Minsk with regional centres. Experts are ready to do the construction of housing. The establishment of joint production facilities is also among the priorities. For example, for joint production of construction materials.

The Head of the Bryansk Region admitted that the region had always taken example by Belarus: — We are neighbours.

We have many friends, acquaintances and relatives living in Belarus. We have always followed you you. Of course, we are impressed by the cleanliness and grooming, by the roads. And in general, by everything that is done in Belarus today. Good, even friendly, relations connect Belarus and Bry-

ansk in various spheres — from culture to economy and science.

This Russian Region cooperates with more than 100 countries, but our country accounts for a third of the trade turnover.

There are also prospects. The figures prove it.

Alexander Bogomaz gives the following example: in 2019, the growth in trade turnover compared to the previous year was more than 10 percent — 653 million US dollars. — And this year, no matter what the situation is (and the situation is difficult: not only in Belarus and Russia, everywhere in the world), the turnover grew by 0.9 % over the reporting period. It is not much, but it is still a plus, — he said. Some more words about the cooperation of enterprises, i. e. Bryanskselmash (which, by the way, is the second largest producer of forage and grain harvesters after Rostselmash) and Gomselmash. AMKODOR-Bryansk, whose equipment is in demand throughout Russia, and its parent Belarusian enterprise.

Bryansk has a strong interest in expanding road-building machinery production. This, by the way, is one of the steps that will help bring bilateral trade to the declared level of one billion US dollars. Among the topics raised at the meeting was the development of agriculture in the Bryansk Region. Alexander Bogomaz noted that the region was having problems with the supply of potash fertilisers. According to him, a new enterprise on extraction and production of potash fertilisers is being built in the Gomel Region, which borders on the Bryansk Region, Accordingly, good logistics can be developed, which will make it possible not only to supply these products for the needs of the region, but also to trade fertilizers throughout the Central Federal District of Russia. This work will be organised by establishing a trading house. In addition, it is planned to create a joint base for the introduction of modern technologies in agriculture, exchange of experience and cooperation in the scientific sphere.

So rich and informative were the meetings with Russian governors in Minsk.

There is no doubt that these meetings and negotiations with the President will contribute to regional cooperation between Belarus and Russia.

By Oleg Bogomazov.

Photo by BelTA.

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Investments

Main profit — quality of life Just recently, it was only cautiously pointed out that an impressive investment project was being prepared in Belarus. And here's the obvious fact: Minsk is starting to implement the project to build... a city.

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hat's right: a city in the city. And the smart one. With the most modern infrastructure, including the social one. Emaar Properties, a company from the United Arab Emirates, is taking on a large-scale project worth about 4 billion euros. The President met with the Chairman of its Board of Directors, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, the day before. Alexander Lukashenko noted the importance and value of such challenging and ambitious plans for our country: — We understand that today these are difficult times in the world. The challenge to humanity has been tossed in many directions. In this regard there is a fierce struggle for an investor. And, of course, your work in Belarus, the investments that you are planning to make are most welcometoday.

The idea was first voiced about a year ago also during a meeting between Alexander Lukashenko and the Emirati businessman. Although to call Mohamed Ali Alabbar like this is, probably, not quite right.

His business is multifaceted and covers almost every continent of the planet. He is a true man of the world who is faithful to his word. For which the Head of State thanked him sincerely: — We agreed on our joint work. At that time a number of projects were conceived, which you took into consideration and were ready to implement in Belarus.

From agriculture to the construction of large infrastructure facilities. We agreed with you that this autumn, after the presidential elections, we would meet and put the things right.

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Among other projects, the President highlighted the intentions of the partners in the construction sector: — I remember your promise to build the most beautiful buildings and structures here in the centre of Europe, which will be the landmark of the Emirates in the centre of Europe.

By the way, about the economic aspect. The decision (Mohamed Ali Alabbar called it bold) of the Head of State not to close down companies in the context of the pandemic has proven to be effective. The Head of Emaar Properties also conveyed the words of the Serbian President, with whom he had recently met, that the damage caused by the economic shutdown even for a month and a half could not be restored.

During his meeting with journalists Mohamed Ali Alabbar agreed with the words that the President had repeated more than once and twice since the beginning of the pandemic: the virus comes and goes, but it is always necessary to eat. “I hope that the epidemic will not last longer than six months. But human life must continue. All that is done in the country for people, for business, is for years. I very much appreciate the measures taken by your President to fight the virus and not to close down the economy, which could have had a negative impact on people's lives”.

The National Exhibition Centre is one of the central facilities of a large-scale investment project called the “North Coast”. The businessman told us about some details: — This is an infrastructure project worth over four billion euros to make this part of Minsk one of the most advanced

and modern. Technology rules the world.

We plan to build a smart city in the city, and we are designing it.

Smart City will also have many social facilities, including a university and other educational institutions, sports facilities and healthcare facilities. Belarusian specialists involved in construction will also receive advanced international experience and know-how. And the place itself will become a landmark of the city, delight to the eye.

Mohamed Ali Alabbar noted that the experience and knowledge his company had gained over the past 25 years on major projects would be applied in the Belarusian capital: — It is not so much about buildings, roads or profits. After all, the main achievement is the quality of human life. We want the new project to improve the conditions for families and children, to make it more attractive for tourists and businessmen. The expected growth of Minsk's GDP is 5–7 %.

In addition, the project will create over 70.000 jobs.

Yes, the pandemic and closed borders in many countries have significantly reduced the flow of global investment this year. Major companies have been freezing or closing projects in anticipation of better times. In this regard, the arrival in Belarus of one of the most influential and largest investors in the world, which any country would like to see, is particularly remarkable. On the eve, Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Emaar Properties Mohamed Ali Alabbar laid a commemora-

belta

Investments

At the meeting with the President of Belarus

tive capsule at the site of construction of the National Exhibition Centre, one of the central facilities of the large-scale investment project “North Coast”.

Businessman Mohamed Ali Alabbar is rightly considered one of the most influential in the Gulf countries and the world. For 14 years he headed the World Trade Centre in Dubai and is co-owner of major international companies in the fields of investment, real estate, hotel business and others. His business is present in more than 50 countries around the world. He is also, as it is customary in the East, a man of his word. Yes, there was a talk about cooperation during his meeting with Alexander Lukashenko last year. And so the guest came to start implementing his ambitious plans. And the fact that they are serious is also confirmed by the fact that Mohamed Ali Alabbar is building a house for his family in Minsk. According to Roman Golovchenko, the arrival of such a famous and prominent investor in the country is a significant event for Belarus.

For his part, Mohamed Ali Alabbar, Chairman of Emaar Properties, draws attention to the fact that many media today are focused on the situation in Belarus. And if anyone has any fears, the world-class investor always thinks long-term:

— As people who are engaged in longterm projects, we always plan for many years to come. It is very important for us that the project we are talking about will improve the lives of people and the state.

The businessman believes that major international exhibitions are the economic engine of the country. Speaking about the construction of the National Exhibition Centre, he expressed hope that small businesses would also benefit from this facility. It is expected that not only exhibitions, but also conferences, as well as sports and cultural events will be held there. The most advanced technologies will be used to erect the building. The investor is ready to start work in the very near future, and the construction of the exhibition complex is expected to be completed within 14–15 months. Сommemorative capsules are laid in the foundation of those buildings that are supposed to play a special role in the development of both the capital and the whole country. Not surprisingly, the ceremony of laying the capsule in the symbolic first stone of the Belarusian National Exhibition Centre was attended by Prime Minister Roman Golovchenko. According to the Head of Government, there have never been such

important and large foreign direct investments in the history of Belarus.

As Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko noted, the arrival of the investor of this status was a landmark event for any country.

— I will not overestimate it if I say that this is the most significant investor in our history who decided to implement a project related to direct investment in the Belarusian economy.

It should be noted that Roman Golovchenko was Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the United Arab Emirates for five years and at the same time in Qatar, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He has first-hand knowledge of Emaar Properties and its manager.

— This is a powerful signal to other potential investors who are delving into the situation and analyzing it. It is no secret that before deciding on any project, well-prepared teams of consultants study not only the legal framework and investment climate of the country, but also check whether there are already people who have risked investing in the sovereign economy.

According to Roman Golovchenko, the Belarusian capital has long needed a world-class exhibition complex where all

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Investments of the area and a special level of IT penetration into its infrastructure.

Vladimir Kukharev, Chairman of the Minsk City Executive Committee, also highly appreciates the event.

— It is very important for the city that investors are ready to come to it. And it is doubly pleasant when world-renowned companies come. New technologies, innovative materials and new approaches to construction will come to us. This gives the city an opportunity to develop, gives an impetus to the development of financial activity, attracts businesses from different countries and opens new opportunities for the Belarusian capital, — believes Vladimir Kukharev. sb.by

our achievements could be demonstrated.

And this facility is just the beginning of a grandiose project conceived and proposed

by Mohamed Ali Alabbar and supported by the country's leadership.

— The terms and conditions of the investment agreement under which Emaar Properties will operate are currently being elaborated, but no special, exclusive privileges are envisaged. These are the basic conditions for foreign investors, which in Belarus are already quite attractive, — said the Prime Minister.

The company has expressed its readiness to take on a large social burden — to build facilities that are not profitable but

Design project of the Belarusian National Exhibition Centre

are very important for the complexity of the development. This is social infrastructure — North Coast will be provided with schools, kindergartens, sports facilities and creative centres. These are not commercial facilities, but they are essential to the successful development of human capital.

So, the first stone was laid on a site near the Minsk ring road, east of Dolginovsky Trakt. More than 900 hectares are to be built up! It will take the investor 15 months to build the Belarusian National Exhibition Centre, and then the World Trade Centre, similar to the WTC in Dubai, will appear here step by step, as well as the University of Artificial Intelligence, sports complexes, health and education facilities, cultural and arts centres and, of course, modern comfortable housing.

Smart City — this is how its creators characterise the project, promising the most innovative technologies in construction, energy saving, environmental friendliness

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By the way, the municipal head arranged a small excursion around Minsk for the investor from Dubai. Together with the Mayor, Mohamed Ali Alabbar went down to the new metro station “Kovalskaya Sloboda”, which will soon be open to passengers. The guest liked the station's decoration with forged lamps which refer to its name, as well as the high quality of finishing materials.

Mohamed Ali Alabbar visited the Minsk Mir complex, the largest construction project in the capital. He walked around the first almost completed block and was pleasantly surprised when he heard that it was called “Emirates Suite”.

According to the guest, the architecture of the complex does have something in common with the Dubai embankments. And the main thing that brings the two cities together is dynamics and modernity.

— Right now in Dubai I am building my own house, a house for my fam-

ily. And at this moment it is particularly important for me to be involved in the construction of your capital as well. I was born in Dubai, Dubai is my hometown.

Every city is beautiful in its own way, but I like both Dubai and Minsk, — said Mohamed Ali Alabbar.

The guest also visited the construction site of the International Financial Centre, where powerful piles were being hammered into its foundation. According to him, the construction of such facilities as the IFC and the Belarusian National Exhibition Centre in Minsk is of great importance for the economy of Belarus.

— For fourteen years I was the Chairman of the Dubai World Trade Centre and was responsible for foreign economic development and international economic relations. The main thing about national exhibition centres is that they are the engines of the country's economic development. Small businesses with the help of these structures grow into large businesses, economic ties with other countries are strengthened, and international trade and cooperation are growing. Therefore, I hope that the Belarusian National Exhibition Centre will become the central point of economic growth in your country. It will host not only exhibitions, but also conferences and business forums. The trend of the new time is that such centres accommodate theatres, concert halls, cinemas, sports facilities and children's clubs. They are becoming not only economic, but also cultural objects, and creative sites, — the investor said.

When asked about the estimated investment volumes, Mohamed Ali Alabbar answered: — Projects of this type require investments of 10 billion euros or more.

But huge amounts of investments, the investor is sure, are the right and balanced decision. In the UAE, Belarus is seen as one of the most promising regions for developing successful cooperation.

— We are present in many countries of the world and therefore we can assess the great prospects which are opening up in the Republic of Belarus, — said Mohamed Ali Alabbar.

By Alexey Fedosov

When there is great demand for innovation

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(Continued. Beginning on page 3) During the opening ceremony of the forum, Alexander Shumilin, Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology, noted that the exhibition tried to show the best industrial developments that existed in the country. In particular, the SCST booth gathered over a hundred exhibits of modern developments of scientists and universities, including the winners of the competition “100 Ideas for Belarus”. Business communities demonstrated their potential.

Recently, a special place in the economy has been given to its digitalisation. It is not for nothing that this topic was widely discussed during the forum. In the near future, the target indicator of success will be at least 15 percent ratio of the digital economy in the country's GDP. This is planned to be achieved by 2025.

So far, this indicator has been around 6 per cent. It should also be noted that in the next ten years, industry will provide the country's economic development. At the same time, the industrial sector will have to work at a new level. Alexander Shumilin also drew attention to the new industrial paradigm: today it is not enough to produce goods and promote them.

It is important to make products to meet certain market needs, as well as to predict and create these markets. This issue was one of the most widely discussed at the forum. A special place at the exhibition

Belta

innovations

was occupied by technical innovations of well-known domestic brands. For example, BELAZ demonstrated models of new dump trucks at a scale 1 in 20. The “Krasny borets” machine-tool plant presented new products, i. e. circular grinding and surface grinding machines with modern control devices. Vitaly Krutko, the company's director, said that those were the machines of a high precision class, which correspond to world trends.

— This time we showed a new bench drilling machine with cycle operation. It also has partial automation for thread cutting. We can set the speed, the depth of the thread. The drill reaches the specified depth using a sensor, then goes into the reverse. The machine is simple, but automation makes it possible to use less qualified personnel.

A notable event within the framework of the event was the SMART INDUSTRY EXPO international forum on the smartification of the real sector. Experts from the leading countries in the digital transformation of the economy demonstrated practices, technologies, developments and shared their own experience. Among them there were representatives of the USA, South Korea, China, Israel and several EU countries.

During the forum, Sergey Chizhik, First Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, noted that without digital solutions in the economy one cannot lay claim to a wor-

thy place in the period of growing global competition: — Digital solutions must be present just in all directions of the economy.

This includes both heavy and light industry, agriculture and energy. It is difficult to name the direction in which IT solutions are not a matter of priority. We must also look at this topic from the perspective of cost-effectiveness so as to prevent possible errors.

In turn, Alexander Shumilin, Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology, drew attention to the fact that one of the priorities for the country's scientific and technological development over the next five years would be the development of information technologies. In the near future, Belarus will have to implement projects aimed at optimizing existing business processes and transforming them on the basis of new forms of interaction between economic agents. In particular, this includes the implementation of platform business models that allow various parties to interact online. He also drew attention to the fact that the country was planning to carry out a significant modernisation of the production sector through the widespread use of software and equipment based on artificial intelligence, 3D printing and robotic technologies.

This will make it possible to introduce into the Belarusian industry a new type of inter-industry paradigm —

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Belta

innovations

smart industry. It will become a key factor in increasing competitiveness, for example, development of precision farming, which will reduce agricultural costs by 15–20 percent. Internet trading will also become more widespread.

The business programme of the forum included round tables and conferences with the participation of leading international experts in the smart industry. Some participants made presentations online.

The business block also included the international summit “World Economy. Digital Experience”, where speeches were made by experts from Israel, Germany, China, the USA and Belarus.

Many faced outline of the futureThere is no doubt that industry, agriculture, transport and other areas are in constant need of technological solutions.

Belarus has both a high scientific potential and an established innovation infrastructure. Innovation fairs help link science and industry, developers and potential customers, commercialize Belarusian projects and boost newcomers. As part of the Belarusian Industrial and Innovation Forum, a fair entitled “Industrial Innovations: Technologies and Equipment” was held in Minsk, organized by the same State

Committee on Science and Technology.

There too, there were enough examples of modern developments. The Belarusian State University presented only new and practically applicable developments at the fair.

— This year for the first time the development of the Research Institute of Nuclear Problems of the Belarusian State University was exhibited, i. e. new radio absorbing materials. Their thermal resistance in oxidizing environments is up to 400–450 degrees Celsius, low density and high elasticity, non-combustibility allow protecting elements and blocks of aircraft from electromagnetic radiation, — Larisa Tsatsura, leading specialist of the Main Department of Science of BSU, presented the novelties. — The Institute of Applied Physical Problems named after A. N. Sevchenko has developed a modular gas flow control system. In September we won a silver medal at St. Petersburg Fair. There is a trial model. We hope to make complexes for customers.

Also, a scientific school of representatives of the chemical department of BSU, the Research Institute of Physical and Chemical Problems are developing heatresistant materials that are used in construction, aviation and metallurgy. Their

State Committee on Science and Technology holds fairs of innovative developments on a permanent basis. In 2020, the interest in the events was expressed by specialists of government agencies dealing with scientific, technical and innovation policy, authors of innovative developments from scientific organizations and educational institutions, small innovative enterprises. Last year, 45 protocols of intent on cooperation were concluded thanks to the fairs of innovative developments.

advantage is in working temperatures of upto 1700 degrees Celsius, which makes it possible to use materials in melting furnaces as gaskets.

— We are working with China in this area. We are working on joint scientific projects to develop certain compositions.

This year we signed a contract with the Beijing Institute of Aviation Materials. The project is good because it makes it possible to organize joint assembly production in China or Mongolia. At the same time, with minimal costs and a quick payback, — said Larisa Tsatsura.

Not far from the BSU stand, Brest Technopark residents demonstrated their technological products. Smart buildings, dispatching, air-conditioning and ventilation systems that reduce maintenance costs — Vipset company’s developments have been introduced not only in the domestic market, but also in some European countries, in the USA. A project with adairy plant in Bryansk was recently completed. Director Alexander Dzhiga stressed that automation made it possible to save money and simplify production processes.

— One person can monitor the entire system remotely using a special program, — Alexander showed the buildings of the medical centre, school and business centre in America on his computer. — It's night there, but we can watch the operation of the equipment. Let's say that there is a large refrigeration unit in the business centre, and the programme is constantly updating information on its condition and parameters — temperature, pressure, capacity.

Accordingly, any error in its operation will be instantly displayed in the programme and a quick decision can be made.

This year the company is working on a new project, i. e. a system for the comfortable placement of air conditioners in data centres, server rooms and offices.

However, Alexander Shumilin, Chairman of the State Committee on Science and Technology, noted that in ten years Belarus could lose its competitiveness if it did not implement digital solutions: Internet trading will also become more widespread.

By Vladimir Velikhov

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MUSEUM is 76 YEARS OLD!

The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War — the world’s first museum on the subject of the Second World War — opened on 22 October 1944. Today, it is the largest national repository of relics of military history, with more than 155.000 items in its collection.

Today, the museum is the most visited in Belarus.

Dear friends!

Please accept warm congratulations on the most important holiday in the history of the museum — its birthday!

75 years ago, for us, the bloodiest and fiercest war in human history came to a victorious end. On the days of May 1945, a terrible and insidious enemy, i.e. German fascism, was defeated in Berlin. In the first days of September 1945, the 2nd World War ended, and Belarus was rising from ruins and ashes. The national economy and industry were being restored. Cities and villages were being rebuilt. The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War had been working for a year in Freedom Square in Minsk in the former building of the House of Trade Unions.

The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War is known as the first museum in the world dedicated to only one theme - the Great Patriotic War in the context of the Second World War. Years have passed and generations have changed, but the staff of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War is doing its best to ensure that the greatest feat of our fathers, grandfathers and great grandfathers, their dedication and fearlessness in the fight against Nazism do not fall into oblivion, so that Belarusians could hold sacred their history and be proud of their country. The staff of our museum, in close cooperation with veterans of the Great Patriotic War, strive to bring the truth about the past war to the younger generation, and give a resolute response to falsifiers of history who belittle the role and significance of the Great Victory. Our sacred duty is to cherish the memory of

our heroes, defend the historical truth, and work together to stop any attempts to revise the results of the Great Patriotic War. Thanks to our regular visitors, friends, partners and colleagues, the museum functions as a living organism. Excursions and lectures are held here, research work is carried out, exhibition projects are implemented, there are also museum and pedagogical classes and cultural and educational events, international scientific conferences and seminars for historians and employees of military history museums. Meetings with partners are arranged and qualified advice on the Second World War can be obtained here. Materials of the Great Patriotic War veterans are brought here as a gift, i.e. documents, photographs and wartime personal belongings. The comments book contains touching words of gratitude from students and teachers, young families and elderly people, guests and residents of the capital, there are enthusiastic words in various languages of the world. Almost 2 million people from more than 100 countries visited the museum in the new building alone.

I would like to take this opportunity to express the deepest respect and sincere gratitude to the veterans. A low bow to them for their heroism and selflessness, displayed in severe struggle. Health for many years, happiness and well-being.

And for the museum and its employees, I would like to wish them new achievements, to implement their plans and create interesting exhibition projects and events, to implement a number of new interactive programmes, and to find their patrons!

Regards, Vladimir Voropayev, Director of the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War

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The building of the House of Trade Unions in Minsk, where the museum was located from 1944 to 1964

Museum at 12, K. Marx Str., Minsk. 1964.

HistoricAL reference

o

On September 30, 1943, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus adopted a resolution on the establishment of a museum dedicated to the history of the struggle of the Belarusian people against the Nazi invaders in the Great Patriotic War, temporarily locating it in the building of the State Historical Museum of Moscow on the basis of the exhibition “Belarus lives, Belarus fights, Belarus was and will be Soviet” which was opened as early as in November 1942. The exhibition halls presented materials (313 exhibits) discovered by the Republican Commission for Collection of Documents and Materials of the Great Patriotic War on the occupied territory of Belarus. On June 10, 1942 V. D. Stalnov was appointed to the post of the executive secretary of this Commission and became the first director of the museum on August 1, 1944.

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After the liberation of Minsk, the republic’s leadership allocated space for the museum in the House of Trade Unions in Liberty Square.

On August 26, 1944, by order of the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Belarus P. K. Ponomarenko, a group of the museum’s researchers left for Moscow to bring back to Minsk the exhibits of the exhibition “Belarus lives…” as well as paintings placed in the Tretyakov Gallery at the anniversary exhibition of Belarusian artists dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the BSSR. A month later, painstaking work began on preparing the museum for its opening.

The museum occupied an area of 1.248 square metres, which was quite large at the time. In the House of Trade Unions the exhibits were located in 25 halls. In the same building there were also dormato-

Resolution of the CC CP(b)B of September 29, 1943 on the establishment of the Museum of the struggle of the Belarusian people against the Nazi invaders

ries and flats for the employees. According to archival data, in autumn 1944, 28 employees worked at the museum, including: V. V. Sablin, P. N. Goncharov, N. S. Abramov, S. G. Romanov, A. S. Varkhatkov and G. F. Brzhozovsky.

The creation of the museum was regularly covered in the republican periodical

The building on Independence Avenue housed the Museum from 1967 to 2014

press, with many articles written by the employees themselves.

Finally, in the issues of the newspaper “Zviazda” and the newspaper “Sovetskaya Belorussiya” dated October 21 and 22, 1944, it was reported that two exhibitions, i. e. “The Weapons of the Belarusian Partisans” and “The Bolshevik Press of Belarus during the Great Patriotic War” were opened on October 22 at 12 o’clock in the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War (the official name of the museum was approved by the resolution of the Council of People’s Commissars of the BSSR dated October 27, 1944). In January 1946, the museum was headed by the new director N. E. Grakov, a man with extensive experience and excellent knowledge of museum business. It was under his leadership that new sections of the Museum were opened, and on the basis of the first thematic exhibitions, the first stationary exhibition was opened in 1947 on the eve of the celebration on May 1. In the first half of 1946 alone, the Museum was visited by about 13 thousand people, 7 thousand of whom were on excursions.

In the spring of 1964, due to the emergency state of the building in Freedom Square, the museum was temporar-

Construction of a new museum on Pobediteley Avenue. 2012.

ily moved to the building at 12, K. Marx Street. However, in January 1966, in accordance with an order of the Ministry of Culture of the BSSR, it moved to a new three-storey building in Central (today’s Oktyabrskaya) Square, 25A Leninsky Prospekt (now Independence Avenue), where in record time it was assembled and on February 20, 1966 the permanent exhibition of the ground floor was opened, and in November 1967 the entire museum opened its doors.

The design of the modern building, which has housed the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War since 2014, began in October 2008 (architect — V. V. Kramarenko).

On April 24, 2010, during the Republican Clean-Up Day, a time capsule was laid on the site of the future museum building in the presence of the President of the Republic of Belarus, A. G. Lukashenko, with a message to posterity.

On July 2, 2014, on the eve of the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders, with the participation of President of the Republic of Belarus A. G. Lukashenko and President of the Russian Federation V. V. Putin, a permanent exhibition was opened in the new museum building erected on the hill near the obelisk “Minsk — Hero City”.

MISSION AND TASKS

T

he museum’s mission is preservation of the memory of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War, counteraction of falsification of history, patriotic, spiritual and moral education of citizens and consolidation of society.

The main tasks of the museum are to identify, complete, account for, preserve, study and popularize authentic historical and cultural monuments in which facts and events of the history of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 are documented, ensure that museum objects and collections are accessible to the public, and use them for the spiritual development of society, including dissemination of knowledge about military history.

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Military Historical Complex “The Old Border”

BRANCHES AND SITES Memorial Complex “The Monument to Soldiers-Internationalists”

Today, in addition to the main building, the museum includes four museum objects of different status: two branches — the memorial complex “The Monument to Soldiers-Internationalists” and the military historical complex “The Old Border”, the Mobile Museum and the aircraft platform LI 2

Mobile Museum

LI‑2 aircraft site

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Т

The military historical complex “The Old Border” is located in the Dzerzhinsk District, 4 km from the village of Stankovo, on the territory of the former 63rd Minsk fortified district (part of the “Stalin Line”). Samples of military equipment and heavy weapons are on display here. For more than 10 years the “The Old Border” has been one of the iconic objects on the territory of the Republic of Belarus dedicated to the events of the Great Patriotic War. Visitors to the complex can learn about the history of the construction of the Minsk fortification area, learn interesting facts about the creation of the Western Border District.

The permanent exhibition of the complex includes 38 units of military equipment, which are located on 7.2 hectares.

On the territory of this complex, the buildings of the commandant’s office, customs, soldier’s club and canteen of the 16th Dzerzhinsk border guard detachment of the 1920–1930s were reconstructed. One can also learn a lot about what service at the border was like in the first years of the USSR. The relic of the complex is, of course, the PFP (permanent fire position) No. 1 of the company defence area “D” of the 63rd Minsk fortification district.

Employees of the museum conduct fascinating excursions around various thematic areas of the complex.

To celebrate the 75th anniversary of Victory, a new exhibition entitled “The Great Patriotic War in Dzerzhinsk area” was inaugurated here.

On the territory of the military historical complex “The Old Border”, “Western Border”, “Victory Weapon” and “Young Border Guards” quest games are regularly held.

The memor ia l complex “Monument to Soldiers-Internationalists”, located in the Trinity Suburb on the island of the Svisloch River (“Island of Tears”), was opened on August 3, 1996, and in January 1997 it became a branch of the museum.

The complex welcomes visitors with a sculptural image of the Mother of God and the words: “This Temple and Memorial was erected to the Sons who died in Afghanistan on the instruction of Belarusian mothers who want no evil to reign in their native land or in any other land”.

The central place of the complex is occupied by a sculptural composition in Old Russian church style, i. e. a cross-shaped chapel with a headpiece and a helmetshaped dome topped with a cross.

The composition is based on the figures of grieving women, who represent Belarusian mothers mourning their sons

who did not return from the war. Some hold icons in their hands, others hold portraits of their sons.

A memorable element of the memorial complex is the figure of a bronze guardian angel mounted on a granite pedestal bowl.

On the boulders located at the water edge there are plates with the names of Afghan provinces and cities where units and formations of the Limited Contingent of Soviet troops in Afghanistan were stationed and were fighting.

The memorial stones were originally erected: Shindand, Kabul, Kandahar, Bagram, Puli-Khumri, Faizabad, JalalHowitzer B‑4 203 mm at the Military Historical abad, Gardez, Ghazni, Herat, LashkarComplex “The Old Border” gah, Kunduz. The Asadabad Memorial Stone was added in March 2005, the Shahjoi Memorial Stone in August 2005 and the Panjsher Memorial Stone in August 2015.

Each element of the complex has a deep historical and philosophical meaning. Originally conceived as a monument to soldiers who died in Afghanistan, the complex soon became a place of memory for all sons and daughters of Belarus who fell in battle.

Mobile Museum. In 2020, the museum’s researchers created a new mobile exhibition entitled “Victory 75: Ways of Courage Border post

During the excursion in the mobile museum беларусь. belarus 2020

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Mobile museum with the exhibition “Victory 75: Ways of Courage and Glory”

and Glory”, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. This project is a tribute to the memory of the dead and a tribute to the Soviet soldiers who survived. Thanks to the mobile exhibition, citizens of Belarus will be able to connect with the historical heritage, which has been carefully preserved for 76 years by the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, located in Minsk, without leaving their native city.

The mobile exhibition consists of 5 sections.

The first section is dedicated to the cities awarded in 2009 and 2010 with the pennant “For courage and fortitude during the Great Patriotic War”. The exhibition includes a pennant model as well as a map of the cities marked with red stars: Brest, Begoml, Bobruisk, Borisov, Vitebsk,

Gomel, Grodno, Zhlobin, Zaslavl, Klichev, Krichev, Lida, Loev, Minsk, Mogilev, Molodechno, Oktyabrsky, Orsha, Ostroshitsky Gorodok, Polotsk, Skidel, Ushachi, Lepel, Pinsk, Rogachev, Surazh and Rossony. A specially developed multimedia programme gives visitors information about the settlement selected on the map: what it was distinguished by in the harsh years of the war, what it was awarded for and what people made it famous.

The following thematic sections of the mobile exhibition reveal the meaning of the exhibition. They tell about war heroes, Belarusians and natives of Belarus, whom our country is proud of. They took part in the first defensive battles with Hitlerites in the summer of 1941, defended Moscow and Leningrad, fought against the enemy in the underground, participated in partisan movement, liberated the territory of

Employees of the museum on the site of LI‑2 aircraft

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Belarus in the summer of 1944, reached Berlin and won the Victory.

The last section of the exhibition, called “The Museum Exhibits Tell”, presents electronic images of individual exhibits from the museum collections. Some of them are kept only in special collections and are not exhibited to visitors in the permanent exhibition. This provides a unique opportunity to learn about them and their stories.

There is also an activity zone for visitors, where puzzles depicting the highest military order “Victory”, aircraft “Po 2” and tank “T 34” can be collected on a magnetic board.

The site of the LI 2 aircraft (note: LI 2 aircraft is the largest exhibit in the museum). During the flight season (from May to September), interactive programmes are held weekly on the site of LI 2, located near the museum. On weekends, visitors get acquainted with the commandant of the airfield and, under his supervision, perform a special “combat mission” during which they acquire a number of special knowledge and skills, i. e. identify the brand of the airplane by its shadow, make signal fires, act in the dark by touch, shoot accurately and others. During the programme, visitors learn a lot of amazing facts from the history of LI 2. And most importantly, everyone has the opportunity to visit the cabin and cockpit of the legendary plane, make use of military equipment and weapons of the Great Patriotic War and take memorable pictures with them. It is an intellectual excursion for a family or company. Guests leave the site always in a good mood and with souvenirs from the museum.

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WE INVITE YOU TO VISIT VICTORIOUS 1945: FROM BERLIN TO NANJING On September 3, 2020, the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War opened the temporary exhibition “Victorious 1945: from Berlin to Nanjing” dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. Based on the museum’s materials from reserve collections, it presents the events of the end of the Great Patriotic War and the defeat of the Kwantung Army during the Soviet-Japanese War. Around 180 museum items are grouped into 4 sections: “Berlin Operation”, “Meeting on the Elbe”, “Victory Parade”, “Manchuria Operation”.

Recollecting once again the milestones of 1945, such as the defeat of Germany, the meeting on the Elbe, Victory Parade, the main emphasis is laid on the Soviet-Japa-

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nese War, the victory in which marked the end of the 2nd World War. During the Manchuria operation (August 9 — September 2, 1945), the Kwantung Army was defeated and Manchuria, North East China, North Korea, South Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands were liberated.

On September 2, 1945, Japan’s unconditional surrender act was signed aboard the American battleship Missouri. On September 9, 1945, the Act of Surrender of the Japanese Armed Forces in China was signed in Nanjing.

The Manchurian operation plan was developed with the direct participation of Marshal of the Soviet Union, Commanderin-Chief of troops in the Far East A. M. Vasilevsky. His embroidered portrait is displayed at the exhibition. The author of this work, Zoya Zhdanovich, was awarded a diploma for it by Marshal of the Soviet Union I. H. Bagramyan in 1953.

After the Victory over Germany, the 5th Army, which was under the command of twice Hero of the Soviet Union N. I. Krylov, was moved to the Far East at full strength. Nikolay Ivanovich Krylov received the first “Gold Star” for excellent command of the troops of the 5th army during “Bagration” operation, and the second — for successful defeat of units of the 3rd Japanese army in the border defensive area. At the exhibition, one can see materials (a portrait, uniform, cap) of Marshal of the Soviet Union N. I. Krylov.

The Head of the Political Department of the Headquarters of the 1st Far Eastern Front was Platon Vasilyevich Saevich, later Minister of Education of the BSSR (1947– 1951).

Among the participants in the SovietJapanese War were Caesar Repnitsky, Sergey Lazarenko, Alexander Zabavsky, Nikolai Bondarenko and other front-line soldiers,

Exhibition complex of N. I. Krylov

The bell of peace. A gift from Chinese colleagues from the Museum of Memory of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre.

whose materials are kept in the museum’s collection. The fate of Ivan Kachalin is interesting, and his uniform overcoat is displayed at the exhibition. In 1941 he was among the defenders of the Brest Fortress and was taken prisoner, from which he managed to escape in 1943 in Poland. Later, Ivan Kachalin fought in the ranks of the partisans of the Pinsk Partisan Brigade; in 1944, after joining the Red Army, he fought at the front, stormed Koenigsberg and was awarded the Order of the Red Star for his participation in the Soviet-Japanese War. In 1945, in Manchuria, the front-line artist Sergey Katkov made drawings, which are presented at the exhibition. Before the war Sergey Katkov headed the art studio at the Palace of Pioneers in Minsk, passed through the Great Patriotic War from Moscow to East Prussia, was a participant in the liberation of Belarus. Later he participated in the Soviet-Japanese War. After the war he resumed teaching and in 1966 was awarded the title of Honoured Teacher of the BSSR. The artist’s family donated a series of his front-line drawings, an easel, a sketchbook, a palette, brushes, a cuckoo clock — a gift for his daughter Svetlana left by the artist when he was passing through Minsk on his way to Manchuria.

Separate exhibition complexes exhibit Japanese trophies (jumper and mittens

of a Japanese infantryman, cloak, bowl, etc.), as well as items from the collection of decorative and applied art (Chinese tapestries, drums, plaques, albums), which were presented to the museum in different years by delegations from China. In 2018, the museum held a joint exhibition with the Museum of Memory of the Victims of the Nanjing Massacre, at the opening of which Chinese museum workers donated the Peace Bell from Nanjing. Today, it is a reminder that the tragedy experienced during the war by various peoples must not be repeated.

The exhibition will run until November 1, 2020.

the Moscow and Leningrad Branches of the state publishing house “Art”.

A temporary exhibition of a collection of posters in the heroic and satirical genres (53 items from the main fund and 19 items from the scientific and auxiliary fund) was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the museum. During the war, satirical posters targeting the command and soldiers of the German fascist army were called “propaganda bombs”. By supporting and strengthening morale in the Workers’ and Peasants’ Red Army, among partisans and in the Soviet rear, satire and cartoons had a deadly effect on the enemy.

The exhibition will feature genuine single-leaf posters and posters from the art series “TASS Windows” and “Battle Pencil” of small and large (standard) formats in the technique of colour lithography, as well as original posters made in stencil technique with colour gouache. Among them there are graphic works by professional poster and cartoonists Viktor Denis, Boris Efimov, Kukryniksov, Mikhail Cheremnykh, Viktor Ivanov, Alexey Kokorekin, Pavel Sokolov-Scal and others, which are recognized by art critics as classic examples of poster art.

The exhibition will run until November 27, 2020.

“WITH THE WEAPON OF ART” On the Museum’s birthday, October 22, 2020, a temporary exhibition of Soviet graphics and cartoons “With the Weapon of Art” from the museum’s reserve collection will be opened, which covers the period of 1939–1945. The most significant unique part of the “Posters” collection is the Soviet political posters from the Great Patriotic War period (about 500 items in the main collection).

These are the posters of the largest centres of mass publication of poster graphics —

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QUEST “ABOUT THE GREAT PATRIOTIC…”

QUEST “THE WAY TO VICTORY” The interactive programme with elements of the “The Way to Victory” quest is an informative and exciting journey through museum halls. The participants of the quest will not only be able to expand their knowledge about the history of the Great Patriotic War, but also to experience its hardships on their own: overcome obstacles, complete combat missions and pave their “way to victory”.

You want to take part in “The Way to Victory” quest programme. What awaits you?

At the beginning of the quest, your family (or a group of friends) will turn into a “special group” of brave fighters,

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get acquainted with a guide (a leader) and get a rout card with tasks. And then a difficult and dangerous journey will begin, where the key to success will be your cohesion, attentiveness, wit and discipline! You will also benefit from good visual memory and analytical skills, the ability to act in the dark and overcome obstacles silently, knowledge of Morse code and the secrets of the Minsk underground, as well as skills in making homemade ink and providing first aid to the wounded. But! If you do not yet have such a rich arsenal of knowledge and skills, do not be upset — you will be trained and helped. A guide will accompany you through all the stages of your journey, and his knowledge and advice will be at your disposal. We believe that Victory will be yours! To remember out museum, there are souvenirs which you will get at the end of the route.

“The Way to Victory” quest programme is designed for family groups of up to 10 people and will also be suitable for companies of friends or national teams. Children under 14 years of age are only allowed to play with adults. The duration of the programme is 1.5–2 hours.

Order a quest: +375 (17) 203–07–92 +375 (29) 144–07–92

This is a joint project of two museums dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory.

On July 3, 2020, the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War and the National Art Museum of the Republic of Belarus presented a joint cultural and educational project — the quest “About the Great Patriotic…”.

This is a unique project which unites two leading museums of the country. The uniqueness of the quest lies in the fact that its scenario is based on the interconnection of identical and similar museum objects, which are presented at permnent exhibitions of both museums.

The quest participants will take a fascinating journey through the pages of the history of the Great Patriotic War and the post-war period, during which they will consistently visit the two museums. The game’s tasks are posted on a special internet platform. As a guide to the expositions, participants will be offered the “Front Diary”, i. e. a story of a man who made a difficult journey from the first days of the war to Victory. This handwritten publication is a joint creative development of the museum’s researchers and artists.

Players of the quest will be able to look at the war through the eyes of a witness, get acquainted with legendary personalities, witness landmark events, travel the “path of war” that leads to the Great Victory…

The winners of the quest will receive gifts and memorable prizes from the museums and the project’s partner, the ARTTerritory store chain of creative goods.

Formed teams of up to 10 people are invited to participate in the project (age limit 14+). The duration of the quest is about 3 hours. Pre-registration is mandatory.

Order a quest: +375 (17) 327–23–50

“PASSWORD: VICTORY75” — excursion through the museum’s reserve collections Have you ever been to a reserve collections storage facility — the museum’s “backstage” — where unique items with interesting stories are kept?

Thanks to the “Open Funds” project, you have this opportunity. The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War offers an unusual excursion “Password: Victory75”. This is a new exclusive service that you will surely appreciate. It will surprise both inquisitive visitors and professional historians.

The tour takes place in one of the museum’s stock vaults, where visitors only have temporary free access. This is an area of high concentration of mu-

seum’s rarities with its special strongest energy, which you will feel for yourself.

You will see items from various collections that have never been exhibited in the museum before — these are new additions to the museum in 2020, the anniversary year of the Great Victory. They will present their heroes who passed through the crucible of the Great Patriotic War. Everything that goes beyond the exhibition becomes available as part of the “Open Funds” project. Don’t miss the chance to see it!

Excursions are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10.00 to 16.00 for groups of up to 10 people (cost — 15.00 per person). Duration — 45 min. Photo and video shooting during the excursion is prohibited. The age limit is 14+.

To order an excursion: +375 (17) 203–07–92 +375 (29) 144–07–92

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MUSEUM IN A SUITCASE

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ne of the museum’s priorities is scientific and educational work and the civic and patriotic education of young students.

The museum staff do everything possible to ensure that the young generation of Belarusians know about the heroic past of their homeland, remember and honour it.

Together with new museum projects, the traditional, timetested services of the museum are also very popular. One of them is the express exhibition “Museum in a Suitcase”. This offsite service is offered to group visitors (mostly students) as an alternative to a traditional visit to the museum.

Possible topics: • “Minsk — Hero City”; • “Childhood scorched by war”; • “Nazi occupation regime in Belarus in 1941–1944”; • “Tankers in the battles for the Motherland”; • “Liberation of Belarus.

Belarusian strategic offensive operation “Bagration”; • “Battle awards of the USSR and Germany during the Great Patriotic War”.

Order a quest: +375 (17) 203–07–92, +375 (29) 144–07–92

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The researcher goes to the educational institution with museum exhibits (weapons, awards, household items, military archaeology, ammunition, uniforms, photographs, documents, etc.), selected according to the topic ordered. The performance takes the form of a fascinating story adapted to the age of the audience, accompanied by a multimedia display and demonstration of items from the “suitcase”. At the end of the performance, students have the opportunity to examine, hold and take photographs with the exhibits.

Duration — 45 min. A group of 30 or more people. Necessary equipment: screen, projector, laptop, microphone.

FOR YOUNG VISITORS

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or the museum, children are always special guests who are treated with great care, awe and attention. Communicating with young visitors on a daily basis, whether it’s a tour or a museum activity, a quest programme or an online lesson, museum staff do their best to cultivate in them kindness and responsiveness, honesty and respect for elders, love for the homeland and interest in the history of their people.

Recently, the museum opened the “Museum for Children” hall, a specially equipped room where museum staff communicate with young museum visitors. Children’s first acquaintances with the museum, museum and pedagogical classes, master classes and other interesting events are held here. A recreation area for kids and their parents is arranged in the hall.

SCHOOL OF YOUNG TOUR GUIDES The Great Patriotic War is a difficult topic for children’s perception. The task of the museum as the centre for patriotic education is to present the right material to interest even the most unmotivated young visitors. The aim of this project is to bring the young sightseer closer to understanding and comprehending the theme of the Great Patriotic War through a story about it “from child to child”. The narrative in the “children language” makes it as comprehensible and interesting as possible for the younger generation.

The “School of Young Tour Guides” group for middle and high school students is making its first steps. In addition to civic and patriotic education, this project will also solve the tasks of professional guidance for students as it arouses interest in the professions of a historian and a museum worker.

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Fates folded into a triangle The anniversary year of Victory in the Museum was marked by a large number of interesting joint projects with the media. One outstanding example is the project “Fates Folded into a Triangle”, born in creative tandem with journalists of the Belarusian Telegraph Agency.

It is based on letters from front-line fighters and partisans who died and survived in the crucible of battles. Weekly editions of the project were published from January to May. They are available for reading at http://victorychronicle.belta.by/letter.

For decades, war letters had been collected into one large museum collection, sometimes they unfolded their yellow pages to appear in books or newspaper articles, to be read on the radio or shown on television. Today, these messages from the past can be felt deeply by millions of contemporaries.

The joint work of the museum staff and journalists has received great public response and resonance. Despite military censorship, not a single letter is a copy — each one is individual. The letters of the Great Patriotic War contain great moral strength, they are united by a sense of deep patriotism, faith in victory and love for their relatives and friends. Each letter contains the understanding

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that one must not only survive, but also protect one’s homeland and defeat the enemy.

Despite their personal nature, letters of war are historical documents. Composed together, separate fates from small “triangles” give a feeling of a large, like the Soviet Union, and uninterrupted movement of human masses, shifted from their usual places and fully subject to the laws of war at all its stages. From small fragments of front-line and partisan daily life, from anxiety for families in occupation and evacuation, from skimpy lines written in defence days or protracted battles and joyful, bright written in the days of offensive and victories, there emerges a general picture of an epic called the Great Patriotic War. Most of the letters presented in the project tell the story of the fates of Belarusians, as well as of the soldiers who fought in Belarus or linked their post-war destiny with our republic.

The Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War would like to thank all the families who donated their materials to the museum funds for permanent storage. To date, the collection of letters includes more than two thousand three hundred items.

ENRICHMENT OF THE MUSEUM’S COLLECTION In 2020, under Resolution No. 218 of the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Belarus of April 13, 2020, the State Depository of Precious Metals and Precious Stones of the Ministry of Finance of the Republic of Belarus transferred more than 60 items of museum significance representing historical and cultural significance to the museum for permanent storage. Among them there are several Orders of the Red Banner, representing different periods in the history of development of this high state award, not only of the Soviet Union, but also of the Mongolian People’s Republic: the Order of the Red Banner of Fighting (Red Banner for Military Valour, type II) and the Order of the Red Banner of Fighting (Red Banner for Military Merit, type II).

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Order of the Red Banner (USSR) The history of the Order of the Red Banner began on September 16, 1918, when the Decree of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee (VTsIK) established the Order of the RSFSR “Red Banner”, and after the formation of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, by the Decree of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR on August 1, 1924, it became known as the Order of the Red Banner of the USSR. The statute of the Order was approved by the Decree of the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR of January 11, 1932, later it was amended and supplemented by the Decrees of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 19, 1943 and December 16, 1947. It was noted that the Order of the Red Banner was established to reward special courage, selflessness and bravery displayed during the defense of the socialist Fatherland: for particularly significant feats committed in combat actions with obvious danger to life; for the outstanding leadership in military operations of military units, formations, united forces, and other military organiza-

tions. In exceptional cases, the Order of the Red Banner may also be awarded for particularly significant services in maintaining the high combat readiness of troops,

Order of the Red Banner No. 16, 3rd award, [1918–1932].

as well as for deeds accomplished in the performance of military duty with clear danger to life.

At the second awarding with the Order of the Red Banner (and it was the only order in the award system of the USSR), the awarded person was given an order with number “2” (it was marked on the face

part, i. e. an enamel plate with the number of award), and at subsequent awards — with the appropriate numbers.

The design sketch was supposed to be made by artist V. Denisov. However, he was ill and actually all the work on the creation of the drawing of the Order “Red Banner” had to be done by his son Vladimir.

V. V. Denisov studied at Stroganov Art School before the First World War and was well versed in engraving and punchwork technique. In 1918, he worked at the Board of Museums and Monument Protection at the People’s Commissariat for Education of the RSFSR. In a short period of time (less than a month), V. V. Denisov made six variants of the drawing of the new Order. One of them was recognized by the Commission of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee as the most accurate reflection of the essence of the battle insignia. The unfolded red banner and five-pointed star, ploughshare, hammer and bayonet, crossed sickle and hammer, oak wreath leaves — all of these symbols reflected many concepts.

The slogan on the red banner was “Proletarians of all countries, unite!” The letters “R. S.F. S.R.” were written on the red

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ribbon at the bottom of the order. Already on October 4, 1918, this version of the drawing of the Order “Red Banner” with small corrections made by the author according to the comments of the members of the award committee was approved by the Presidium of the Central Executive Committee. Based on the drawing by V. V. Denisov, the engraver V. V. Zvyagintsev made in the middle of October 1918 proof copies of the Order “Red Banner” in three versions: in old silver, bronze and gold. The Presidium of the Central Executive Committee approved the bronze one.

V. K. Blucher, former chairman of the Chelyabinsk Revolutionary Committee, became the first awardee. In 1918, having united under his command several armed detachments, he made a legendary march through the Urals, conducting fierce battles with the White Guards. Ten thousand partisan army under his command made a heroic raid in the rear of the Whites. After 40 days of continuous battles, having covered 1500 kilometres, the partisans joined regular units of the Red Army. For this feat, on 30 September 1918. Vasily Blucher was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR No. 1. For his heroic deeds during the Civil War Blucher was awarded the Order three more times. He received the Fifth Order, but already the Red Banner of the USSR for his work as a military adviser to the revolutionary government of China.

Among those decorated with the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR were prominent figures of the CPSU — MI Kalinin, S. M. Kirov, G. K. Ordzhonikidze, V. V. Kuibyshev, as well as outstanding commanders of the Civil War — M. V. Frunze, M. N. Tukhachevsky, S. M. Budenniy, K. E. Voroshilov, V. I. Chapaev, G. I. Kotovsky and others.

Similar to the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR, the Transcaucasian republics and some Central Asian republics also introduced their own Red Banner orders.

After the establishment of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1922, the question of creating a single military award for the country began to arise.

The single Soviet military award was the Order of the Red Banner of the

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Order of the Red Banner No. 178, 2nd award, [1924–1932].

The author of the design of the Order is an artist V. V. Denisov.

Order of the Red Banner No. 22, 4nd award [1930–1943].

USSR, established by the Decree of the CEC of the USSR on August 1, 1924.

This document determined only the fact of creation of the award; the statute and description of the order were absent. The competition for the design of the Order was announced at the end of 1924, after the publication of the first Decree on the awarding of the Order. The Commission received 683 sketches from 393 authors, but none of them were approved, as they were all inferior to the drawing of the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR. It was therefore accepted as the starting point for the creation of the new sign. The only change was the replacement of the inscription “RSFSR” by “USSR”.

The Leningrad Mint did not start producing USSR Red Banner orders immediately. By early 1925, the Revolutionary Military Council of the USSR and the headquarters of military districts had accumulated several thousand orders of the Red Banner of the RSFSR that had not been awarded yet. It was therefore decided to continue to issue the Republican Order, but on behalf of the Central Executive Committee of the USSR and the RSFSR. The Protocol of the Presidium of the CEC of the USSR of December 17, 1932 noted: “To establish the beginning of the issuance of the Order of the Red Banner of the Union of the RSFSR from January 1, 1933”. The same document noted the “historical importance” of the Order of the Red Banner of the RSFSR, in this regard, its replacement for the All-Union Order of the Sign of Order was decided “as a rule — not to do”.

According to the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of July 19, 1943, orders circle or oval- shaped, were to be worn suspended from a pentagonal block covered with a moire (silk) ribbon. The same decree establishes the colour of the ribbon (see above). From that time on, the signs of the Order were made with the ears at the top of the banner.

In 1941, the Great Patriotic War broke out which opened a new period in the decoration business: holders of the order, who used to be exceptional before the war, became a wide-spread phenomenon.

During the war, among the first to be awarded the Order of the Red Banner was the famous 316th Infantry Division of Major-General I. V. Panfilov.

In total, from 1924 to 1991, the Order of the Red Banner was awarded more than 581.300 times. Fifty-two people received six awards and about 15 people received seven awards.

Now the museum holds 213 orders of the Red Banner (there are RSFSR and even the Order of the Red Banner of the Uzbek SSR). The largest number of awards the museum has are the ones which belong to twice named Hero of the Soviet Union, pilot P. Y. Golovachev, there are six of them.

Order of the Red Combat Banner “Цэргийн гавьяаны улаан туг одон” (MNR) Until this year, there were no awards of this level from the Mongolian People’s Republic in the Phaleristics collection.

In 1924, after the death of the religious leader and monarch Bogdo Khan, with the support of the Soviet Union, the Mongolian People’s Republic was proclaimed.

Genden Peljediin, Omara Anandin and Choibalsan Horlogin came to power. In 1924, the new parliament of the Mongolian People’s Republic allocated funds for the establishment of the award system.

The designs of the orders were developed by the best artists of Mongolia and initially they were produced only at the Soviet mint in Moscow and Leningrad. These awards can be recognised by their design and sometimes by the stamp of the mint. By the 1960s the orders and medals were also produced in Ulan Bator and Budapest. The high quality and use of precious metals in the production of MNR Orders is particularly valued by collectors around the world.

The social changes enshrined in the three Constitutions of 1924, 1940 and 1960 have influenced the production of awards. The country’s name, official flag, coat of arms and alphabet were changed several times.

The Cyrillic alphabet, for example, began to be used in 1941.

Order of the Cergy of the Gavaans ulaan tug odon; (Red Banner for Military Valour), type II, No 150, 4th award, [1941–1945].

These factors are decisive in determining the period of time in which an award is established. There are three main types of coat of arms. The first type has three variants, the second has two variants and finally the third has only one variant.

Many awards have the BNMAU stamp, which means MNR. In general, relatively few orders and medals have been produced and founded in this country, which is due to its low population. The Order of the Red Banner (Цэргийн гавьяаны улаан туг одон) was founded in 1926.

Originally called the Order of Military

Order of the Cergy of the Gavaans ulaan tug odon; (Red Banner for Military Merit), type IІІ, No 204, 2nd award, [1941–1945].

Valour (type I), in 1931–1945 it was called the Order of the Red Banner for Military Valour (type II), since 1945 it was called the Order of the Red Banner for Military Merit (type III), since 1993 it is called the Order of the Red Banner for Military Valour (type IV). It was awarded to soldiers, officers, political workers of the Mongolian People’s Revolutionary Army, the Mongolian People’s Army — servicemen, state security workers, border guards and other citizens who performed a feat in defending the country from aggressors and who contributed to strengthening the people’s revolutionary army, strengthening the defense power of their country against external and internal enemies, and protecting the peaceful labour of the people. The Order was also conferred on individual military units, formations, military schools, industrial and administrative organisations that have successfully fulfilled special government tasks in increasing the military strength of the Mongolian People’s Republic and strengthening its defence capability. Especially distinguished in defense of the Mongolian People’s Republic, were awarded the Order of the Red Banner several times and Marshal Choibalsan was awarded five times. The Order of type I was awarded around 600 times, type II around 2.300, type III and type IV around 6.000 times.

All high level state awards have their own personal, unique numbers, thanks to which there is a chance to identify their owners.

Dear readers!

Throughout its history, the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War has fulfilled and continues to fulfill a high mission of preserving the memory of the Great Victory.

You can hand over to the museum family relics: photographs, documents, letters, personal belongings of war participants. This will be your contribution to the preservation of the bright memory of millions of people who went through that terrible war.

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NEW EDITONS

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This year a unique edition was published — the album “Rarities of Military Historical Museums of Belarus and Russia” dedicated to the 75th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. The book includes the history of 100 exhibits from the collections of the main militaryhistorical museums of Belarus and Russia, i. e. the Belarusian State Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War, Brest Fortress-Hero Memorial Complex, the State Memorial Complex “Khatyn”, the Victory Museum, the State Historical and Memorial Museum-Reserve “The Battle of Stalingrad”, the Sevastopol Military Historical Museum-Reserve. The exhibits selected for the album are symbols and evidence of the common and

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personal feat of people who defended their country and saved the world from fascism. Each of these historical artefacts, whether it be a letter from the front or an old photograph, an item of clothing or an award, has its own unique story, reflecting the events of the Great Patriotic War and telling about the contribution of the Soviet people to Victory.

A postcard set “Everyday Life of Rogachyov Partisans” is a gift edition of the museum, presenting pages of the manuscript magazine of the Eighth Rogachyov Partisan Brigade, their studies and life.

Handwritten journals are a unique phenomenon in the history and culture of Belarus. They contain the national spirit, character, history and geography of peoples.

Home-made, handwritten, typewritten notebooks or albums reflect the life, struggle and work of Belarusian partisans during 1941–1944, i. e. the entire period of struggle in the enemy rear.

Handwritten journals were kept together with the documents of the squad or brigade. Once in the ring of the enemy

blockade, the partisans buried handwritten magazines in ground in the boxes of ammunition and shells.

The authors of articles, stories, essays, satire and humour pages were the partisans themselves. They used every opportunity to get paper, cardboard, paint or pencils for design.

The museum’s collection of partisans’ manuscript magazines has 248 issues.

They present their heroes — different in nationality, occupation, world outlook — through their deeds, positions, feats, in their service to the people. This unique collection is included in the State List of Historical and Cultural Values of the Republic of Belarus (category “1”).

It is possible to buy the given edition in a souvenir stall of the Belarus state museum of history of the Great Patriotic War.

PARADE PARTICIPANTS RECOLLECT… For the 75th anniversary of the Victory Parade

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The Victory Parade, which took place in Red Square in Moscow on 24 June 1945, put a logical full stop in the history of the Great Patriotic War. A lot has been written about it. We know what the weather was like on that day, in what sequence the combined regiments marched in Red Square, how fascist banners were thrown down to the foot of the Mausoleum. And what it was like in the memory of the participants, only they themselves could tell us.

But fewer of these people are among us and very few have left their memories. It’s not always a complete story, sometimes just a small stroke, a fact, an episode, but you can’t find them in books or articles.

Although the stories are personal in nature, they highlight the most common details, details that are described by almost everyone. For example, the two most common themes are touched upon by almost every participant of the parade: a merciless square-bashing and a great food while training for the parade. During the years of

Soldiers of a special battalion at the Victory Parade. June 24, 1945.

war, the soldiers grew unaccustomed to a real combat move. And they, warriors, who had walked across Europe, holders of combat orders, were square-bashed like new recruits. Day and night, they worked themselves up into a sweat. On the one hand, they were very tired, and on the other, the joy that the war had ended and prevailed over everything.

“Preparations for the parade began in Moscow, but there was no enthusiasm about the military training. Everyone wanted to take a walk around Moscow, talk to people. …A great care was shown about living conditions: they were well-fed, there was a grocery shop in the dormitory, all the necessary things were sold there at low prices,” wrote Professor Anatoly Alexandrovich Golovko, Doctor of Law, in his memoirs. During the war, he was a senior sergeant and intelligence man for the 1106th Minsk Rifle Regiment.

This topic is “picked up” by Grigory Isaakovich Zhitomirsky, a former artiller-

ist and gun commander: “Front-line fighters, who had grown unaccustomed to real combat training, and many did not know it at all, had to become parade participants in a short time. Marching drill began at five o’clock in the morning. We came to have breakfast covered with soapsuds, our service shirts were covered with salt. However, young age took over, and by evening we would go on a date with Muscovites. …

The time we spent in Moscow is remembered like a fairy tale. Meals were like in the best restaurant: starters, first, second and third courses, and 100 grams for bravery was mandatory. For smokers “Belomorcanal” was given with the inscription “Hello to the winner!” in gold letters on the box.

After the hardships of military life, a normal, comfortable life was already perceived as something strange. “Meals and care on the train were excellent. After the trench food, ordinary borscht seemed the most delicious in the world. On the way, especially after Brest, we were welcomed

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Anatoly Golovko

I remember our echelon approaching the station, and flowers fell on us from the flying bridge. We went out to the station square, where the rally took place, and then, to the sound of the march, we walked through Kiev, crowded with thousands of people.

People were crying and rejoicing. The next morning we woke up, and at one of the stations we were surrounded by ragged, dirty children asking for bread. We gave them everything we had.

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Grigory Zhitomirsky

Alexey Savchenko

at the stops by cheering people. After all, we were the first frontline soldiers, there were no demobilizations yet. …We were accommodated in Proletarian barracks on the Sparrow Hills. After the trench “beds” we could not fall asleep, tossing and turning in the snow-white beds”. (G. I. Zhitomirsky).

The road to the parade, meetings with people at various stations left indelible impressions. “I remember our echelon approaching the station, and flowers fell on us from the flying bridge. We went out to the station square, where the rally took place, and then, to the sound of the march, we walked through Kiev, crowded with thousands of people. People were crying and rejoicing. The next morning we woke up, and at one of the stations we were surrounded by ragged, dirty children asking for bread. We gave them everything we had.” (A. A. Golovko).

But, of course, the most memorable and incomparable event was the parade.

“The Victory Parade was something special. It seemed that everything there was a unique, historic, special celebration of the people. And indeed it was. Heavy clouds moved lazily over Moscow. It was raining heavily. It seemed that nature also resented the atrocities committed by the criminals of humanity. It seemed that on the day of

the great holiday, rain and bad weather are quite appropriate, for the triumph and joy of the people were combined with tears and bitterness. The mysterious forces of nature in the form of clouds and rain seemed to blame the culprits, who sowed bitterness and suffering among the people. …In Red Square, the best of the best stood in order, the victorious warriors, representatives of all branches of the armed forces. …The winners did not seem to notice the heavy rain and stood in order proudly and solemnly. To the sounds of the combined orchestra, the columns, steeped in the smoke of war, were marching in lockstep, the military machinery, made by the workers and tested in battles with the enemy, was moving in rows,” we read in the memoirs of former paratrooper Alexey Emelyanovich Savchenko, who made over 2000 parachute jumps.

Participants in the Victory Parade…

They experienced and went through a lot. Everyone had their own way to Red Square, long and difficult, through fire and death. Almost all major battles of the Great Patriotic War were the pages of their biographies. What their memory preserved and now is being preserved in the museum is an opportunity for us to share the momentous event, understand the thoughts, feelings and mood of the winners.

Sacred places

RETURN OF THE Turov Cross

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The artifact, which the famous archaeologist has been dreaming of restoring for sixty years, is refurbished with the words of Kirill of Turov “…The fortresses on the mountain were standing.// There were palaces and cathedrals,// Near it,//Waves were roaring…” — wrote the poet Vladimir Dubovka about ancient Turov. The city which only Polotsk can match in the number of cultural values… At least this is what the famous archaeologist Pyotr Fyodorovich Lysenko said, with whom we talked about Turov sights six years ago. About unusual sarcophagi made of black stone; the first Cyrillic alphabet found in Belarus, carved on a boxwood comb; stone crosses that slowly grow out of the ground… We talked about Kirill of Turov, who was brought up among Greek intellectuals who lived in Turov at the court of Princess Barbara, sister of the Byzantine Emperors. We also talked about many Belarusian historical and cultural values which had been lost…

During the conversation, the famous historian took an unusual metal cross out of the bookcase — a reconstruction that at some time he had made together with his son Fyodor, then a schoolboy. On the cross I clearly saw four ancient icons… Pyotr Fyodorovich found them in 1962 during excavations of the Turov hill fort on the layer of the 12th century and defined them as parts of the throne cross of the Turov Episcopal Church. The historian dreamed of this cross being recreated one day like the Cross of Saint Euphrosyne.

Well, sometimes Belarusian artifacts come back to their homeland. All of a sudden a copy of the first Belarusian ABC book was found in London, as well as a

painting by the famous John Damel was found in the village of Vishnevo in Smorgon district, a new manuscript by Maxim Bogdanovich, Vladimir Dubovka will appear in some archive… Even if the value is destroyed, caring people will restore it.

The dream of Pyotr Fyodorovich has also come true… It’s a pity he didn’t live up to it for just a few months. But he was present at the meetings where the project was discussed and, according to Maria Netsvetaeva, chairperson of the Synod Department for Church Art, Architecture and Restoration of the Belarusian Orthodox Church, did not speak out against the sketch of the cross. She was appointed curator of the restoration of the Turov Cross

and is the author of its concept. Nine works were submitted for the sketch contest announced in 2018.

— We wanted to make the competition as independent as possible, and the projects were not named but numbered, — explains Mariya Valentinovna. — The jury, chaired

by Metropolitan Pavel, consisted of representatives of the Academy of Arts and the Academy of Sciences. Three projects were selected. The first place was taken by Elena Andrushchenko’s sketch, the second and third places were taken by the corporate authors’ team led by Igor Gordionko and sculptor Andrey Konomovsky. It was decided to make two crosses: one for the church and the other for the Academy of Sciences.

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Sacred places — Which of them is decorated with icons found by Pyotr Fyodorovich?

— It was not possible to make the icons on the cross, as, according to the scientist’s will, all his belongings were donated to the National History Museum. But they were restored with the help of medieval technology.

— I have heard of the arguments if the found icons were really part of the throne cross.

— This is a hypothesis, but it has grounds.

It is an accepted practice all over the world

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to reconstruct artifacts by fragments, knowing the characteristics of the era’s culture and the region. Pyotr Fyodorovich also relied on his knowledge. The icons he found were not signed, which meant that they were part of something, the signatures remained on the thing to which they were attached. The back side of them — the flattened one — also testified to that. The size also indicated that it was a cross as the icons of this size could be made only for the cross at that time. And the size of the entire cross was defined by Pyotr

Fyodorovich: 52 centimetres. Of course, it is not indicated anywhere that an altar cross should be exactly that long, but again we based ourselves upon the tradition that was at the end of the 12th century — beginning of the 13th century.

— Pyotr Fyodorovich spoke about the Byzantine influence that existed in Turov at the time thanks to Princess Barbara. Is it traceable in the Turov Cross, too?

— We did not want the cross to be made in the Byzantium style or in a

Sacred places Gothic style. We set a condition for it to be a Belarusian national shrine. Yes, I noticed in the sermons of Kirill of Turov calques from the Byzantine culture, but they have a lot of their own, original features. Ancient Turov was also very important to the West. We cannot say that the city was purely under Byzantine influence. And when Metropolitan Veniamin accepted the reconstructed crosses, many said that it was an original Belarusian artifact.

— Of course, an analogy can be drawn with the Cross of Saint Euphrosyne…

— Yes, the Cross of Saint Euphrosyne really influenced the Turov Cross concept.

The Cross of Polotsk contains the idea of the family; there are images of the saint patrons of Euphrosyne’s parents. The birth of the Turov Cross’ s concept was for me a long and painful process. It was only when my husband, a priest, and I went to Pinsk for a rally of young people that I visited my favourite Museum of Belarusian Polesye, and then wandered around Pinsk and Turov that everything came together. The outer side of the cross is the universe. Moments of the Crucifixion. There is an emerald at the top. There is no image of the Lord in the centre, but the ruby shines, as it was called in ancient times, a balas-ruby. This is a reference to the Body and Blood of the Lord. We based ourselves upon a theological context, i. e. the 12th century was full of arguments about the sacrifice of the Lord and the corporality of Christ. On the side there are images of the Mother of God and John the Theologian.

Below there is Kirill of Turov. But the biggest disputes are connected with the next icon. Because Pyotr Fyodorovich defined it as an image of the Reverend. But at the time such clothes could not be worn by a schemamonk. Searches, comparisons confirmed that these were the clothes of

the Prince. I came to the conclusion that the icon depicted Andrey Bogolyubsky, who was both Prince of Turov and Prince of Kiev, his murder was a sensation of that time. Another image is of the martyress Varvara, the patroness of Princess Barbara of Turov. This is how the hierarchy is formed: saint — prince — secular. On the back side there is its own story. The customer of the Cross could have been Prince Gleb of Turov, who was baptized as Michael, that is why there is an image of the Archangel Michael. And we could not forget about the two persons without whom the Cross would not have been restored: Pyotr Lysenko and Metropolitan Paul, and placed the images of Saints Peter and Paul. And on the sides of the cross there is a very important element that connects everything: Kirill of Turov’s statement about the cross.

— So, two Golden Turov Crosses have been made…

— Yes, and we saw them at the Feast of the Ascension of the Holy Cross, during an evening service in the Minsk Cathedral.

The Turov Cross was presented to people for the first time. After the holiday, the cross was exhibited in the Church-Historical Museum of the Belarusian Orthodox Church. It will be brought to Turov on St. Kirill’s Day, 11 May 2021.

By Lyudmila Rublevskaya.

Photo by Evgeny Pesetsky.

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Roots

“Versailles” in Zhilichi Finding your roots is one of the most important human needs. Today, few people know even about great-grandparents, let alone those ancestors who lived before. Hence the interest in historical monuments, ancient manors and palaces. If it is difficult and sometimes impossible to find information about the fate of one's own ancestors, one can find out about the way people known to historians used to live on our land.

O

On the lane near the gate with the inscription “Attention! Construction site” there are cars with Minsk plates. Behind the gate one can see a majestic facade of the palace in the scaffolding. This summer, many Belarusians are “discovering Belarus”.

The Bulgaks’ estate in Zhilichi (Kirov District, Mogilev Region) is visited by tourists who live hundreds of kilometers away.

Who is Bulgaks?

The town of Zhilichi is known since the 15th century. It belonged to the Princes of Trabs, of Khodkevich, of Sapiehas. In the 17th century a fortress was erected there: its earth 3–4 human height ramparts have partially survived till our times. In the 19th century the fortress lost its significance.

And just at that time Ignaty Bulgak bought Zhilichi from Franciszek Sapieha.

— Franciszek Sapieha was a famous adventurer and he constantly needed mo­ ney, — says the director of cultural institu-

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tion “Zhilichi Historical Complex-Museum” Vladislav Kulakevich. — The Bulgaks lent him a large sum, and he probably gave them these lands against the loan.

The new owners decided to build a palace on the site of the old fortress. A palace in the real sense of the word. To throw dust into the neighbors' eyes, so that everyone looking at it could see that the owners are a rich and noble family.

The ancient ancestry of the Bulgaks traces its history since the 15th century, but they are known neither for grand victories, nor for outstanding achievements.

They didn’t possess big wealth (the family got rich only at the beginning of the 19th century). And it probably bothered the arrogant owners of Zhilichi.

— You shouldn't think that a hundred or even two hundred years ago people were

Roots

Let's argue about tastes

different, — says Vladislav Kulakevich. — In the nineteenth century, people thought and felt the same way as they do in the twenty-first century. And they also wanted to show themselves better than they really were like, that's a feature of human nature.

And how did the Bulgakov family get rich? It's not known exactly. But it is possible that they didn’t do without corruption.

The first owner of Zhilichi, who started building the palace, was Marshalok, the leader of the nobility. It was an elective position, so to speak, “social burden”. But his brother was a subcomorium, an official who disposed of the lands. The family members had the opportunity to buy land cheaply. By the end of 19th century, 60 thousand hectares were bought up by the Bulgak family. And the land became a source of wealth for the family. Ignaty, as they would say now, was doing business: he had distilleries, sugar factories, starch mills, sawmills. And the profits were invested in the palace.

It took almost a hundred years to build the palace — from 1823 to 1910.

Of course, the work didn’t go non-stop: as soon as cash was available, the Bulgaks resumed construction. At first the central part of the palace was erected (it took about 10 years), then the side wings, one of which was a greenhouse, and in the end the entrance arched gates closed the wide inner courtyard. The enfilades of the front halls, rooms for numerous servants, a house church, statues, priceless collections of art, stables with thoroughbred horses — for the Bulgaks the palace was their status indicator.

— If you look around the whole palace, you can see that its parts are diverse.

They were designed and built by different architects. But they were masters of their craft, and the whole ensemble looks organic. The central part was designed by the famous Karol Podczaszyński. Stanislav Shabunevsky, most likely, completed the work on the palace.

The rich estates of the 19th century were built in very different styles, which depended only on the tastes of the customer. The palace in Kosovo is Neo-Gothic, the manor in Red Bank is a mixture of Gothic and Art Nouveau, and the Bulgaks wished to build a residence in the style of Classicism, or Empire.

— Classicism is simple enough to implement and at the same time looks strict and beautiful. The origin of the style is in antiquity, in the century before last it was loved by landlords throughout Eastern Europe. Administrative buildings in Stalin's times were built in the same style: the socalled “Stalin Empire” — an echo of fashion of the 19th century. The Empire requires precise mathematical proportions. In the Zhilichi Palace they are not maintained — it is more like a variation on the theme of classicism. But the whole of it looks very thorough.

The interior of the estates of that time did not follow design styles but the tastes of the owners. This is called “historical eclecticism”. For example, beam ceiling, made of precious wood, with stucco, looks rich and aesthetic, and it can be found in ancient manors with a variety of interiors in our country, Russia and Poland.

In the 1970s (then there was an agricultural college in the Bulgaks’ Palace), the stucco was covered with the paint that was available. Today, during the restoration, that paint is removed, the stucco is

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43

Roots plastered and painted in the original colors: coral, gold, sky blue, mint green.

Griffins, dragons, horses and chariots stopped in flight under the ceiling of the ceremonial halls. Here you can see the plots of ancient, biblical, eastern and Slavic mythology. In different years very different people were engaged in the construction and interiors of the palace, though all of them belonged to the Bulgak family. The stucco on the walls and the ceiling tells about their character and aesthetic views.

Of course, wonderful designers used to work here — for example, the famous artist and sculptor Tadeusz Rostworowski. But a designer is just a doer, and the one who pays has the upper hand. In some places the stucco is large and rough — a kind of “if you take it into your hands — you feel its worth”. In other halls it is thin, discreet, aristocratic. Probably, the first and second wives of Ignaty Bulgak put their hand to the finishing of some of them. Both were exquisite aristocrats — probably, their family built a large collection of art, which was kept in the palace and replenished by their descendants.

The first owner of the palace had nine children by two wives. The palace was eventually inherited by Edgar's youngest son. He studied agriculture at the Riga Polytechnic, later he was a student in Stuttgart (Germany). He ran an advanced farm on his lands.

Edgar had a fruit nursery where peaches, apricots and even pineapples were grown, a meteorological station and 200 hectares of orchards. One of the representatives of the family, Yan Bulgak, was among the pioneers of artistic photography (it is his photographs that are used today to restore the interiors of the palace). And the last owner of the family residence, Emmanuel Bulgak, was a theologian, university professor, author of several works on religious studies.

After the beginning of the First World War, he took all the jewelry from his residence in Zhilichi to the city of Orel — the Bulgaks also had real estate there.

— Originally there was a big library here — 6 thousand volumes of manuscripts and old printed books. There was a collection of family portraits and paintings, including the ones by John Damel, Jan Xa-

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vier of Kanevsky and Italian masters. The collection of sculpture is valuable. Bronze, marble, porcelain. 18 Slutsk belts. The collection of medieval weapons and ancient art, — lists the interlocutor.

Unfortunately, most of this treasure are gone now. Seven paintings from the palace collection are kept in the Orlov Museum of Fine Arts. The other works of art have disappeared without a trace.

nephew and heir Emmanuel traveled a lot and built a rich collection of ancient art.

During one of his trips, he bought an ancient marble sarcophagus and presented it

There are no ghosts here Are there palaces without historical anecdotes and romantic stories? In “Zhilichi Versailles” there is a hall with mascarons in the form of a woman's face.

— According to one version, it is an image of the first wife of Ignatius Bulgak, Isabella, — explains Vladislav Kulakevich. — She died in 1831, when the cholera epidemic was raging here. An inconsolable widower is believed to order t he s c u lptor to mould the face of his beloved. However, sorrow did not prevent Ignatiy Bulgak from marrying his first wife's younger sister, Teresa quite soon.

There is another version of the origin of the “female mask”. According to a legend, the younger son of Ignatius, Edgar, was in love with the local peasant beauty.

She returned his love. But Edgar couldn't marry a peasant woman. He could become an outcast among the local landlords, and it is obvious that for Bulgak his status was one of the highest priorities. According to the legend, Edgar sent his beloved to one of his distant estates so he would never see her again. Whether this is true or not is unknown, but Edgar Bulgak never married and had no children.

By the way, there is one historical anecdote connected with this figure. Edgar's

Banquet hall ceiling

Bathhouse

Chapel

to the elderly Edgar as an art object. His uncle regarded the gift as an insult: “My nephew wants to put me in a coffin!” They quarreled. In the end, Emmanuel's uncle didn't bequeath the palace to Emmanuel, he sold it.

Roots — A secular chronicle said that the palace was worth over a million rubles. In fact, according to financial documentation, the uncle sold this estate to his nephew for 300

Fireplace

thousand rubles — says the director of the museum. — But this sum at that time was astronomical as well.

In the national consciousness ancient palaces are associated with mysticism and stories about monsters.

— I do not agree at all that “terrible tales” are necessary, — says Vladislav Kulakevich. — Such “tales” told by tour guides are most often evidence of the fact that no serious scientific work has been carried

out at the historical site. It's much more interesting to tell tourists the truth, not fairy tales. By the way, there is also a story about the Zhilichi Palace, which tells about a three-year-old girl buried inside one of the columns.

There is a wide-spread plot — a fundamental victim, explains the interlocutor.

In the early Middle Ages people couldn’t build well, engineering and mathematics in the “dark ages” were forgotten, Europeans had to reopen them. Buildings fell down, people connected it with the wrath of God and tried to win him over by sacrifice. Usually a chicken, a lamb or sometimes a human would be buried in the footing.

— But this only concerns the early Middle Ages. The Bulgaks started to build their residence in the 19th century. Besides any bloody victim is inadmissible for a Christian, and the Bulgaks were fervent Catholics. Moreover, the first architect of the palace was Karol Podczaszyński, son of the Radziwiłłs’ court architect, professor at Vilnius University. He designed and built many buildings that we can still see today.

To accept the idea of a “fundamental sacrifice” in connection with this man is as wild as to assume such a thing in our days.

Such legends are not only unreasonable, but also harmful, because people sometimes do not know history very Ballroom well and will think that there were barbarians on our land only 150–170 years ago who buried children inside the walls. In fact, I repeat, the people of the 19th century did not differ from us in terms of morals, desires and aspirations.

To prove it, it is enough to read the letters that Tereza Bulgak wrote to her husband Ignatius when he was on his “business trips”. She reproached her husband for working too much, and complained about her staying at home alone, taking care of

the children and household. Does it sound familiar?

The fate of the palace The Palace in Zhilichi was seriously damaged neither during the First World War nor in the Great Patriotic War, the Germans only dismantled the greenhouse to bank roads and took away, when retreating, exquisite antique furniture. In Soviet times, an agricultural college was situated in the palace, and at that time it suffered the greatest losses.

At first, all the angels were knocked off from the walls of the palace church. The parquet floor, which was a work of art, suffered. It was not designed for crowds of students. Then the stoves and fireplaces were destroyed.

The fact is that the great halls of the palace in Zhilichi were not supposed to be used in winter. During the cold season, the upper halls kept the temperature of 14–15 degrees, enough for the furniture and art objects not to be ruined. But the students were cold, the palace was heated by steam, and the stoves and fireplaces, covered with precious tiles, were simply dismantled (now they are being restored with the help of old photographs).

And then it was the turn of the ceiling. In the 1960s, in some of the classrooms the roof was leaking, during the repair the beam ceiling was removed, and was never brought back.

— On the other hand, if the palace had not been given to a technical school, the building could have come to our days in a much sadder condition, — said the director of the museum. — Any building without people dies. If a historic building was used, it is easier to reconstruct it than an abandoned one.

Now the work is being done in the central part of the palace — there will be a museum and a library. In the end the palace is supposed to look like in 1910. Besides, as the museum management hopes, a French park around the palace will also be restored — with its alleys, pavilions, sculptures and a lake that appeared as a result of melioration. Now there is confidence that the work will go faster, — the restoration work at the Zhilichi Palace was mentioned in the presidential decree signed in early July.

By Alexandra Antselevich

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45

variety art

“Singing at home is a great honour for me”

W

Pyotr Yelfimov — the golden voice of Belarus... Born to sing...

Orpheus... Belarusian nightingale...

One of the best voices in the world, a man with a beautiful soul...

A brilliant singer! Only angels in the paradise can sing like this!

It is impossible to have seen and heard enough! Take care of him...

He is the property of the Republic...

(from reviews of Pyotr Yelfimov’s solo concerts in Belarus)

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When listeners to Pyotr Yelfimov’s songs talk about his work, it is impossible to control feelings: these words are so sincere and heartfelt. The readers can see it for themselves, as we found it necessary to quote the brightest of them. And what’s more interesting (read below), in many reviews words of gratitude are sent not only to Pyotr as a pop star, but to the whole of Belarus. Why is that, we reasoned. And when we talked to Pyotr, we understood: he is not just an A‑list celebrity with all the regalia typical of this status. He is a great actor who does not need a mask, a pose…

Because deeply humane features manifest

themselves in him in a very strong, even powerful way, which is more often revealed only in communication between close people whom you sympathize with and trust.

It is this quality that seems to lead Pyotr through his life. And it sounds onstage in most of his songs. He is what he is like.

Genes? Possibly. A gift of fortune? It is possible to say so. As well as the fact that he was born a warm and pure soul. That’s why, when Pyotr sings, he speaks to the heart, opening the doors of the hearts closed for various reasons. Pyotr Yelfimov’s soulful, life-giving warmth is not kept in the hiding places of his inner world, but generously

sergey kroft

Pyotr Yelfimov:

variety art In general, that’s what we try to do. And we started talking at tea after Ivan, Pyotr and Tatyana’s brother Alexander Elenevich had gone mushrooming in the area of Logoysk. This autumn is warm and rich in mushrooms in Belarus. Our mushroom pickers were also lucky: happy and satisfied, they returned with baskets full of boletus, variegated boletus, cortinarius caperatus and suillus.

We did not prepare any questions for Pyotr in advance, having decided to just talk about life: we have known him and Tatyana for a long time, thanks to our dacha neighbourhood. It is true, our acquaintance was limited to greeting over the fence and our admiration for Tatyana and Pyotr’s two dogs and two cats of. As it turned out, the whole team travels from Moscow to Belarus in a special box in a car together with their owners. And sometimes takes a rest from them in the Minsk city flat, where Pyotr and Tanya’s daughter Polina and her husband live. They also come to the summer house.

And there is often a lot of fun there. From time to time, the sounds of Pyotr’s voice are also heard. As we later learned: the singer’s profession is hard work and he trains his voice every day. Sometimes for several hours.

Their house is visited by three black cats who live nearby. They sometimes come to us too to get a good haul when they smell meat or fish. In winter, they are fed

by Alexander, who lives there all year round. During the interview one of the cats, nicknamed Combatant, was purring on the sofa under the side of our friend Vladimir, a hydrogeological scientist, and the blue-eyed gray handsome Harry, Tanya’s favourite, was in the spotlight and got caught in the lens… By the way, she said that in our absence, it likes to walk around our children’s property.

We talked till late at night. The next day was a day off. And as it seemed to us, that the parties, as they say in such cases, were satisfied with the communication.

We hope that we will not disappoint the magazine’s readers either.

— Pyotr! We know that since 2013 you and your wife have been living in Moscow, and you come to your summer cottage in Belarus to rest. Which place is more comfortable place to stay? Where do you feel your own self?

We do not mean the stage, stage drive, or driving a car…

— This is just the place we are talking with you now.

This is where I feel comfortable and relaxed. But this is not a dacha, but a house.

— So this house holds promise?

— Yes, we have already partially built it. And carry on doing it.

— Tell us how it all started.

Tatyana: — We really wanted to buy a house. Petya talked me into it. After all, he was born and grew up in a private house with a large garden. At first, I had my doubts,

Tatyana Kosmacheva — wife of Pyotr Yelfimova, his concert director and producer

"On the roof of his house..."

And this house is being built with his own hands near Minsk Ivan Zhdanovich

comes to the fore. He warms both us, his interlocutors and the public. That is why people cry at his concerts. I saw it with my own eyes: not only women but also men brush away a furtive tear. It’s nice to feel your soul alive, feelings that are not dead, not frozen. In such cases as the bright phenomenon of Pyotr Yelfimov, people speak about the openness of the talent to Life, its flow…

Today his name is known to music-lovers in the USA, Australia, Germany, Azerbaijan, Poland, Spain, Russia, Moldova, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Macedonia, Greece, Turkey and Estonia. Pyotr Yelfimov is one of those performers who cannot exist within the same genre. Music education, the desire to develop, to constantly move forward, tracking the trends in national and world music — these qualities remain a reliable guarantee of the singer’s success. This is why he has probably opened up the boundaries of one country: he lives both in Moscow and Belarus.

Pyotr Eelfimov’s concert repertoire includes works

by Vladimir Mulyavin, Igor Luchenok, Deep Purple, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Czeslaw Niemen, Andrew Lloyd Webber and works by classical composers: Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff, Tozelli, Donizetti and others, ancient and modern romances, opera arias. He is also a singer of the Moscow Heavy Metal band “Grand Courage”. As he admits, in addition to solo work, touring, master classes and teaching at the Institute of Modern Arts, which is in Moscow, this band occupies a significant part of his life. By the way, he is an associate professor of the Pop and Jazz Department there.

And a huge part of Pyotr’s life is his wife, Tatyana Kosmacheva, his producer and concert director. Once she used to be the director of the film crew of the Musical Editorial Group of the Belarusian Television, she discovered Pyotr’s talent for Zornay Rostan TV contest for young pop artists, Pesnyary and Slavic Bazaar…

Their union has been going on for over 15 years. We did not ask personal questions: there are a lot of articles and interpretations on the Internet: Pyotr Yelfimov + Tatyana Kosmacheva. But it is impossible not to talk about the tenderness and admiration with which Pyotr looked at his wife, who took part in our conversation.

We noticed it! Because it is beautiful, because it is positive, real, alive. Like a clean spring from which it is joy to drink. And for some reason, I, Valentina, remembered in this regard the words of the philosopher Vasily Rozanov.

“Do not offend love… Do not push it, do not chase it, do not pry into it. Do not smear it. Do not gossip …

Stand near love with a veil and cover it from condemnation of the evil. And do not suspect: “it will be short”.

Do not slander: “it will be unfaithful”. Do not think of anything. “The way the Lord will arrange it”. Take care of every manifestation of love…”.

Mushroom time in Logoysk District.

2020.

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47

aleksandr konotop

variety art

Green years

48

as they say I was a child born on asphalt: I was born and grew up in Minsk. Moreover, I was afraid even of such dacha isolation. At first, we planned to build only a sauna here, and then we decided to add a second floor.

Thus, a small guest house appeared.

Well, now we’ve decided to carry on building the house… But before we even wanted to sell the land with the foundation already laid. There is no water here, no gas either. And recently it was laid. That’s what pushed us to take further actions…

Pyotr: — Tanyusha was categorical. But Polina and I insisted: we will not sell anything. I told Tanya: you will understand how great it is — your home, your land, you will feel this joy. And when we built everything we have here now, we understood: we feel here as good as nowhere else. This is exactly the place where our souls relax. And if there were no work or trips, we could come here and stay. Everything is done here with our own hands. Even the smallest things. But now we are big specialists in construction.

— So, as the proverb says, Pyotr Yelfimov is jackof-all-trades …

— It turns out that this is the case. Everything was done in accordance with the standards. Every inch of the house was checked.

— Tanya, when did you realise that you felt comfortable here too?

— We came last year from Spain. Petya had a concert after concert in Moscow. Winter was coming, and the house, where there was no gas yet, had to be heated.

There was no light. So I had to stay here while the electrician was doing all the necessary work. For the first time in my life, I was left alone. No one could come to my house.

I spent the first night walking. On the street, although almost all of the vacationers had left, it was for some reason less frightening. And in the house, kittens supported me. If they were calm, then everything was fine, I thought, no one else would show up here. And there was a piece of membrane hanging on one of the walls, and it made a sound under the gusts of wind. But I did not understand what it was. Then one of the cats scared me even more. It jumped from the foundation into the window… There were enough fears. And at the end of the week, I went out in the morning and felt this special atmosphere, which is so different from the city: silence, fresh air, inexplicable calmness at heart. And the weather was not particularly favourable for walks, but I felt good. And that’s when I understood Petya. And when he arrived, I said that I was ready to stay in the house. I had overcome my fears, though I am a coward. By the way, I had to curb my fears in Mogilev when we went

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to visit Petya’s parents. They have a freezer, which, when switched on, makes a special sound. I heard it for the first time at night and woke up the whole house, I thought someone was getting into the house… (laughing).

— In general, Tanya became friends with the house. Were you, Pyotr, happy?

— Of course, I was very pleased. And the freezer doesn’t scare her anymore.

We have recently visited the parents. We haven’t been there for over a year because of the coronavirus.

By the way, due to Covid, I have had fewer concerts during this period.

— We know that your family is very musical, can you say that you are from a dynasty?

— And this opinion has already established itself.

My parents both graduated from the Conservatory in Minsk. My father is Pyotr Yelfimov, my mother is Zhanetta Yelfimova. They are choir conductors. On my mother’s side there are Poles, Belarusians and Russians — both Catholics and Orthodox, and on my father’s side there are Lithuanians, Poles and Russians. I have such an international mix, except for the musical one. It is interesting that my grandmother, Ganifada, sang beautifully, but she never studied anywhere. And my grandfather Gennady played the accordion and everything that got into his hands. I heard my grandparents’ songs and music since childhood. In the family keep the records of grandma’s songs, my mother managed to record a few pieces. That’s where everything is coming from. I also play the trumpet. By the way, my mother also has a very beautiful voice.

— Who taught you at the Conservatory?

— Generalov Anatoly Mikhailovich, I have my Italian bel canto from him. And when I was doing my Master’s, it was Viktor Skorobogatov. My master’s degree exam was quite original, interesting. Skorobogatov sang his Master’s exam for the audience. And I did the same in 2009, 40 years later. It took place in the Great Hall of the Philharmonic with two orchestras — “Young Belarus” headed by Mikhail Antonovich Kozints, and with his National Academic Folk Orchestra named after Joseph Zhinovich. Tickets were sold for my exam.

The programme included old arias, Donizetti, Schubert, folk works and romances. There was also an aria of Lensky from Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin” and many others. For me, everything was very exciting.

The hall was packed, a sell-out, and the examination board on the best seats …

— So how did the variety art appear in your life?

— It was from the very beginning, but I didn’t realize it at once. I’m a former wind instruments player.

At the age of 6 I went to musical school specializing in trumpet. In 1994 I entered the Mogilev Gymnasium

Pyotr through the eyes of his daughter Polina aleksey maruga

go to Vitebsk. Well, I am now a regular participant in this festival.

I learnt about “Slavic Bazaar” back in 1997. I listened to a competition of young performers. I was seventeen years old then. And, of course, I also wanted one day to get on the stage of the Summer Amphitheatre and knock everybody dead, as they say… But it took me long to do it. And if Tanyusha hadn’t pushed me, I wouldn’t have dared and won the Grand Prix. She was the one who gave me hope, saying: you are the best…

— You took part in the famous Russian project “The Voice” in 2013. What made you apply?

— I am often asked this question. First of all, it is a very worthy project. I was encouraged to take part in it by my students, I was teaching then at the Institute of Modern Knowledge named after Alexander Shirokov.

They said: how come, you, the “golden voice of Belarus”, do not take part in such a cool project. I followed their advice.

Besides, it is a great honour and great responsibility for me to represent my country at any contests in any country of the world.

— Tell us about “The Main Stage” project?

— In 2015 I got on TV screens as a participant in the second season of the music show “The Main Stage”.

I passed the qualifying auditions, in which 10 thousand competitors took part. My musical producers were Andrey Sergeyev and Alexander (Lev) Konovalov. The jury of the contest included: Nikolay Noskov, Diana Arbenina, Valery Leontiev and Elena Vaenga. They say I won over the audience and the jury with new arrangements of the songs “My Clear Star”, “Ricardo’s Serenade”. I reached the final and became the winner on the results of the Internet voting.

— You have already had many victories and awards in your life. Over 100 solo concerts in Belarus, you have also successfully toured abroad. Which awards are dear to you?

— When an artist’s work is valued, it is always pleasant. I won my first Grand Prix in Novopolotsk at the Hali-halo competition, when I was 15 years old. My next award was the Grand Prix at the festival “Mirny Sings of Peace” in the faraway town of Mirny (Sakha Republic), I just turned 22. And of course the dearest award was the Grand Prix of the International Competition of Pop Song Performers “Vitebsk — 2004”.

The medal of Francisk Skorina is dear to me, I received it in 2016. There are other awards. For example, in 2010 I represented Belarus at the World Performing Arts Championships in Los Angeles, Hollywood. And I won there 5 gold medals in five categories, as well as a special award for achievements in the entertainment industry and a gold medal of the finalist. And of course,

Enchants with energy

Polina Kosmacheva

College of Music and Choreography, my specialization was choir conducting. My mother persuaded me to go to her class. But before that there was an impulse: to quit music and go to Minsk and connect my life with the profession of either a cartoonist or a designer: I draw quite well. I also graduated from art school at the same time.

— Did you gain experience as a vocalist in the gymnasium?

— Yes, during the years of study I began to sing, and performed with the Double B variety studio under the direction of Vasily Senkov and Vasily Buinitsky. By the way, one of the participants of our studio was Natasha Podolskaya. In 1996, I was awarded the prize in Zornaya Rostan, at the contest of young artists. I became a laureate. But for the first time I participated in it in 1993 and received nothing. They listened to me then and said: “Thank you, boy, you’re good, go on studying. So, that’s what I did… (laughing). They assessed me there, which I learned later on, as unimposing and unpromising. I was short and fat then…

By 1998, when I was graduating from college, I realized that I had to go on studying. So, I decided to go to Minsk and enter the Conservatory: to study academic singing. During my years of study, I participated in KVN. (Today Pyotr, a professional KVN player, is an absolute champion of the International Union of KVN. — Auth.).

We occasionally came in contact with Tatyana since 1993. One day she asked me when I met her: are you still singing? And I was!

In general, we can talk for a long time about Tanyusha, her role in my destiny, “Zornay Rostan”, KVN time and work in “Pesnyary”.

— Let’s talk a little about “Pesnyary”…

— In August 2003, after the death of Vladimir Mulyavin, a new team, the Belarusian State Ensemble “Pesnyary”, was created. It was Tatiana who invited me to the new ensemble. Serious touring concerts in the CIS countries, special status within Belarus, work experience in the established team of professionals — all this certainly influenced my professional growth. Every year on 12 January, the Great Hall of the Belarusian State Philharmonic Hall hosts an evening in memory of the great musician Vladimir Mulyavin with my participation. But this year I failed to come.

— Is the victory at “Slavic Bazaar” a bright event in your life? The International Competition of Pop Song Performers “Vitebsk‑2004” awarded you the Grand Prix for your unique voice and high skill.

— The question already contains an answer. Of course, it is! The brightest! This festival made way for many performers. I am one of them. Now my students

Polina Kosmacheva

variety art

Beautiful person. Not only his looks, but also his inner light.

You can immediately see that he gives people the light of his soul... Kindness is always in his eyes.

From the comments on vk.com

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From recent reviews

After the concert

✓ Pyotr is one of the best voices in Belarus. Beautiful, hardworking, kind! A trub man! ✓ One of the best singers of our time ✓A good boy, hero of our time, honest, sincere… ✓ He always sings live… When he sang “Guslyar’s Aria”, I was so raptured that wanted to write a good comment, a huge comment, but then there was a song… “A Scream of the Bird”… And I realized that I wouldn’t write anything comprehensible, because the emotions I experienced left nothing but mute — delight and admiration… All other words that I usually use to express joy, approval, dissatisfaction and many other things… in this case will be an insult, if not worse…

Thank you, Vladimir Mulyavin, for your legacy… Thank you, Belarus, for another, great talent of Pesnyary! Bravo, Pyotr!! ✓ Voice, appearance, talent — everything is present! And a great repertoire! It’s a pleasure to listen to Belarusian songs performed by him! Sing, perform more often in Gomel! Good luck in life and health! I wish we had more such talents on our stage! Real talent, pride of our Belarus, charming, wonderful, the best! ✓ Our Pyotr is gold!!! ✓ Very talented Belarusian singer. He is also loved in Russia …

But he is good, he does not cut his native ties! ✓ Words fail me, your soul if in the heaven, emotions overwhelm when you listen to him. ✓ A talented performer! Deep understanding of the lyrics! How beautiful the Belarusian language sounds! This is real art! ✓ Pyotr is a Master, and his energy is Hurricane! But the main thing is that he is a real continuation of the Belarusian vocal tradition. Bravo! For his mastery and for such a reverent attitude to his native land! ✓Really super cool singer! Both long hair, voice range and energy are incomparable! ✓ Thank you, Pyotr, for your creativity and memory of the wonderful music by Vladimir Mulyavin. My soul sings with you! Each song is a masterpiece! ✓Pyotr Yelfimov is a Slavic treasure. Talent! ✓A very rare combination of talent, charm. Very elegant. ✓Pyotr Yelfimov is incredibly cool! One of the best vocalists on the planet! ✓ Filigree Pyotr, sings brilliantly! One can feel a mixture of Soviet vocal school, and the natural talent is endless… ✓ Wonderful son of Belarus!

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I keep a gold medal from the International Union of KVN. There are many awards — each is dear in its own way (worthy of a museum).

— Do you have any favourite works? And which music genre is the closest?

— They are all my favourites, all of them were hard gained…

One of them is a work of world music — an aria of Jesus Christ from Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber’s rock opera Jesus Christ — Superstar. There are others. Every song is a part of life. If these are my lines, it’s a part of mine. If they are someone’s, then I dive into them and try to feel them, to understand them. I am very fond of Tanyusha’s brother Sasha’s poems; they are very beautiful. And as for music genres, I am interested in everything, in different musical genres and styles. I follow the trends in Belarusian and foreign music and world culture in general. I listen to, analyze, synthesize the information I receive.

— So it turns out that Alexander is not only a good mushroom hunter, but also writes good poems?

— Sasha’s poems are deep. I have a romance album called “The Bells”, which includes works written by me with his lyrics. He and I also wrote a hymn for the Tobolsk anniversary — “My happiness, Tobolsk”. I love this city very much. Tobolsk is a city twinned with my native Mogilev. Sasha also wrote “Ode to Tobolsk”. And there they made a whole performance on it. We have a bloodline connection with Tobolsk.

— How many students do you have? Which of them please you?

— Yes, I am proud of them all. They represent our country well at international contests, festivals and television projects in various countries (Italy, the Czech Republic, Russia, Latvia, Kazakhstan and others). Alexandra Nekhay (participant in The Voice-Children project), for example, is currently studying and teaching in St. Petersburg. She has her own interesting songs. Some of them are already teaching, others have gone abroad… I have students all over the world, I give classes online.

— Do you have a large group of students at the Institute? Are there Belarusians among them?

— 11 people. And there is a Belarusian, Anastasia Smirnova.

She is a second-year student. She is from Minsk. She is a pupil of my Lithuanian student Oksana Datsevich (Ksanta). Once Ksanta used to come to my class from Vilnius every Saturday at one o’clock p. m. And then went back. It means: when a person wants to achieve something, he or she will persistently go towards the goal, figuratively speaking — take great pains, make incredible efforts. There is no other way to do it! The bread of a singer is not easy. When I start classes with students, I tell them: we are not going to sing with you. How come, they get surprised. That’s my method. According to it, we don’t sing for long. Singing is hard work, not entertainment, I tell them. It is my hellish toil, and yours as well.

— Are you always received at a decent level when you tour?

— There are, of course, some cases I don’t want to think about.

But more often than not, everything goes well. Both in Belarus, Russia and abroad. I can name the Molodechno Palace of Culture as an example of a good level in the organisation of concerts. There,

variety art Pyotr Yelfimov — professional Belarusian performer and vocal teacher, ex-participant of the Belarusian State Ensemble “Pesnyary”, quarter finalist of the vocal show “TheVoice”, Grand Prix winner of the International Festival of Arts “Slavic Bazaar in Vitebsk”, participant of the Eurovision 2009 song contest, five-time winner of the American World Championships of Performing Arts, winner of the online audience voting of the TV show “The Main Stage”, absolute champion of the International Union of KVN in the BSU and RUDN teams, and vocalist of the band “Grand Courage”.

Polina Kosmacheva

as a rule, they create conditions for a performer to feel comfortable, to have a good impression of the event. And it’s not that you come there for the first time, you already have friends there, they know you for so many years! But you feel that they have you on a pedestal.

This is respect for the artist’s work. This indicates professionalism of people. I would be happy to give you their names: this is Svelana Soroka, Alla Yatsina. And I can advise to learn from them how to treat artists if you respect and love them. Of course, there must be a rider.

— How do you feel about comments on your work and personal life?

— My attitude is neutral. Fortunately, there are few negative opinions. I am a professional and I am responsible for the quality of the product that I have done well. Some people may like it, but others may dislike it. If I know that I’ve missed something somewhere, haven’t finished it (live and learn), how can I be offended? But when I come across the opinion: “it’s bad”, without any specifics, why it’s bad, I don’t react. I only accept constructive criticism.

As an accumulative effect of the opinions about myself, I posted on my contact page a poetic joking dedication, I wrote in 20 minutes, which excited the public. Not a single post I wrote collected so many comments. Everybody was delighted at the joking nonsense I had expressed to my own address.

— Have you and Tatyana ever had a chance to communicate with your fans abroad?

Tatyana: — We had to do it more than once.

We have a lot of fans in America, Spain and Israel… Austria, Sweden, Australia…

Sasha has this information strictly registered (laughing). Here is an example. In Milwaukee, after the concert, a man came up. He said: I want to invite you to a restaurant. Pyotr is my favourite singer. You will come for dinner, and the first thing I will show you is the playlist with his songs.

We came and made sure: Pyotr’s works are played in the restaurant… It turned out that

our friends in Israel flushed this music material for him. And there was also an incident in Los Angeles. An American came up with a confession: I love the Russian language and I know the singer from KVN …Yes, the world is small, and we have seen it many times.

— Did you experience mystical feelings while singing some songs?

— I don’t know how to call it but something inexplicable happens when I sing some songs, e. g. “The Scream of the Bird”, “Prayer”, “Christ’s Aria”… I get into some special state, in one moment there’s a powerful emotional blow, immersion as if you get into another portal, and I fly somewhere. I can’t explain it…

— Have you ever thought about the meaning of life, have you ever tormented yourself with looking for it?

— Perhaps I haven’t. I think the meaning of life is in it. I understand that. Maybe it’s because I know how to love life, creativity and my family. While studying Vladimir Morozov’s work “The Art of Resonance Singing”, I came across a good phrase: you have to understand the nature of your voice and accept it. It is the same in everything. Not just in my profession. As for it, if you are given something, there is no need to invent things and try to sing in a different way. Accept what you have, develop yourself and let happen whatever would happen. When people ask me a question: wouldn’t you like something more? I would! But there is reality! A long time ago, I sorted everything out. And I realised: I am not a super famous mega star. I am not a peacock, not a parrot. I am a singer. I am a musician. I am a teacher. I know how to do well what I can do. And I will do it. I don’t stand still, I don’t stew in my own juice, I’m constantly developing. And my work is of benefit both for me and people. That’s the way it has to be in this world. And with this awareness, I feel good.

That’s why I am calm. If in the past I used to feel nervous and think after another show: this one made his way in the world and this one too, and I… But one day I realized: everyone goes their own way. I’m going and I know that I won’t get over my principles: moral, human.

Interviewed by Valentina and Ivan Zhdanovich With Grand Courage band

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One’s own way

Continuation of the conversation with the Rector of the Belarusian State Academy of Arts Mikhail Borozna

A view on art in the context of time

В

End. Beginning in the issue No. 9.

— But tell me, students enter, study at the Academy, graduate. Do you think the life of graduates shape well for them? Do they fulfill themselves in the profession, in creativity?

— This is life; there are many different circumstances in it, i. e. family, everyday and occasional. But in general, graduates of the Academy do what they are supposed to do in line with their education. Sometimes, a graphic artist can become a painter, a painter can become a graphic artist. But the fact that they are chosen by their profession is unambiguous for the vast majority. And wherever they are in the world, they are people who do art. Many of them achieve very good results. Social networks show that our graduates are making a name for themselves not only in our country, but also far beyond its borders. And everyone is

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involved in creative work. There are people who have achieved resonant success. For example, Igor Soloviev, who works with us and who this year won three top nominations at a design competition in Germany, in Essen. And this is also the fate of an Academy graduate. This is the fate of a graduate who has won the highest recognition for his design work, having reached significant heights in industrial design. Igor Soloviev is a graduate of our Academy and is working here. He has been teaching at the Academy for a year and a half now. Or those guys who, as students, received awards at the Pushka innovation design competition. Or Fyodor Shurmelev, who last year won the “Debut” competition of the CIS countries. Or Konstantin Kostiuchenko, who earlier, in 2016, also won the “Debut” award. These are all our graduates, their destinies and their recognition. We also follow closely the ca-

reers of graduates of other faculties. Kirill Detsevich, for example, was one of our best students at the theatre faculty. Today he has become a prominent actor at the Pushkin Theatre in Moscow, as well as a participant in many film projects. Some of our cameramen work in Hollywood. Our cartoonists work at Soyuzmultfilm in Russia. We are happy about these successes, we record them for the history of the Academy. Every monument erected by our graduates. For example, the graduation work by Alexander Sokolov (graduated from the Academy in 2014) was cast in bronze near the Cardiology Centre in Minsk. All these successes are not indifferent, but very important for us. We help our graduates where possible, even with advice. And they feel it. The National Book Contest is also a place where our artists and their graduation works prove themselves. Our filmmakers, our television

One’s own way cameramen, have also achieved a lot. Once I decided to analyze our achievements for 10 years. You know, I was surprised myself. Actually, a lot has been done. There are a lot of works made for public spaces, e. g. the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, clinics, kindergartens, schools, and places of worship. Our works are everywhere, there is interest in them. Our mosaic school is very good. We have two exhibition halls. There is a student centre of contemporary art — it was established in 2014. We have created, in my opinion, unique projects that have been exhibited twice at the Academy of Art in Dresden. Two projects were also shown at the Lithuanian Academy. In Vienna, there are five projects. And now there will be a theatre hall in the Academy. We will have chance to show the audience a lot of interesting works, because before the renovation, all of our performances, which were on for the public, always had a full house.

All the tickets were sold out. Therefore, I think that the new technical capabilities will make it possible to show interesting theatrical novelties to the public.

— By the way, do many students speak Belarusian?

— A third part.

— And the teachers?

— There are many of them, too. First of all, I hold the meetings of the Academy Council in the Belarusian language. Three quarters of all paperwork is in the Belarusian language. I always speak my native language with pleasure. By the way, of the six books I have published, four are in Belarusian. But our international student-body introduces some peculiarities. For example, we have a Chinese, an American — they do not study Belarusian. And Europeans are interested in it. I would like to say that there has been no decrease in the use of the Belarusian language.

At least, when I was studying, there was no such language in my correspondence. And now, as I have already noted, paperwork is mainly in Belarusian.

— The next five years will show what the current freshmen of the Academy can do. Although it is probably still more interesting for you to talk about graduates.

Today there is a shortage of good directors, actors and artists. Of course, yesterday's graduate is a far from being an established master. But young people have graduated from a good professional school, they are well-trained, they want to realize themselves, they are full of good ambitions…

Or maybe things are different?

— If we go back in history, if we look at the criticisms of the Impressionist period and later, at the beginning of the last century there was more talk of inadequate vocational training than today. This is a natural process when the school constantly refers to previous traditions as more powerful, more significant, more professional.

But we rarely appreciate what happens in an innovative style. It also has to be taken into account, it is necessary. We can see that architecture is changing. So the form of sculpture and monumental art must also change, they cannot exist in isolation. Book design is changing, printing is changing, its capabilities are expanding. The internet has appeared, so it is logical to expect that book and computer graphics will change.

Everything is changing. Things cannot be frozen in Renaissance, baroque or socialist realism. Conditions change as time goes by — we have to take it into account. Glass spaces require peculiar paintings. Ex-libris changes into other forms. Now it turns into an easel form or a form of exlibris graph-

ics and becomes independent, but not a form of making signs that are glued in a book. We do not expect that an architectural graduate will immediately design and build a bridge across the Mississippi or the Huang He. They have to find their own ways when they become head designers. The same goes for a young artist and a young director. Development is the main element of the whole educational process. What can we say about the professional training of young people?

There is no single recipe. Even within the same profession, each student-body is different. The same is true of the professional training system for applicants. A vocational school may give good applicants. Then the situation changes, because in vocational schools there are also staff changes, there are different generations. There are also gender reasons. I would like to say that we have noticed that sometimes independent training is as good as training at specialized secondary schools. In a word, there is a tendency that those who have not studied at art schools show good results. Even in such complex branches as composition in the fine arts. But they do.

— Are teaching methods at the Academy changing?

— The achievements in the creative profession are based on an academic foundation. It is easy to lose it and at the same time lose public face. It is better to have the image of an overly conservative educational institution. We have this conservative school in the best sense. We offer it. And the competition for admission to the Academy does not make us sprinkle ashes upon our heads, be ashamed of our

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One’s own way work. We also actively involve young teachers into the teaching process. Junior teachers are different. There are those who do not see themselves outside the academic manner — there are many of them. But we do not turn the Academy into a monastery. We do not prevent students from getting knowledge in the world of modern art. On the basis of the Academy we regularly hold exhibitions not only of our students and teachers, but also of foreign authors. At lectures on art history we tell students about the newest currents in the fine arts, in design. We believe that our students should be armed with modern knowledge. Teachers are also integrated into the artistic life of modern, conceptual forms of creativity. And yet academic tradition remains the basic foundation of education. I would like to say with pride that we have never been a trade school. We are the Academy!

And the academic spirit is also distinguished by the scientific discussion about the ways of developing the arts. We discuss many problems with students. This is why we always have a spirit of philosophical reflection. And for us, the questions of our contemporaries’ world view are not just words.

— I believe that you have a positive attitude towards innovation in pedagogy.

But you strongly defend the principles of academism.

— I think that the question “What do you see as innovative in art?” is not correct.

Art, as a creative activity, is innovative in its essence. There is no point in repeating something in art. It is constantly in renewal.

And I think that innovation cannot come only from replacing oil paints with more ecological ones — acrylic. The brushes that we used to work with as students in the seventies have already been replaced by the brushes of a completely different quality.

Innovation must come in the form of new materials, new canvases, new sub-frames and new easels. The fact that an artist uses a computer is also a norm. But the very essence of the profession is academic skills.

I don't understand how this can become innovative. I am in favour of a tradition that is more than a century old. Because, in my opinion, people themselves haven’t changed much. Only the way they dress has changed, maybe some manners. And

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in fact, the attitude to good and evil has changed little in representatives of the European civilisation, for example.

— With the training system that exists at the Academy, will it be possible to preserve the national school of fine arts? After all, young people always “go too far”. But it is important to preserve something that many countries with seemingly large traditions in the fine arts are missing. In a number of European countries today, they do not know what classic realism in painting is. They lost the ability to paint in the academic style. We still know how to do it, but it is more the domain of artists of previous generations who work in the realist direction. Young people are moving away from interesting, in my opinion, styles. In a word, how do you save the school? Are there aby concerns about what will happen to it in the future?

— There are. But this is not a disaster that is taking place in education. Yes, we are not spoilt by the number of classic works of art of the 18th — 19th centuries that are on display in museum collections, exhibition halls, public buildings, as it is the case in the countries, where one can see the work by an outstanding master in a small district museum.

This is objective reality when, in 1945, Be-

larus was scorched earth deprived of a huge layer of material and cultural property. This includes architecture, decorative and applied art, as well as the Сross of Euphrosyne of Polotsk. Young people are interested in the figurative method because there is c a lack of artefacts and monuments of such art in our environment. The desire to create comfortable aesthetic environment stimulates an interest in something that is no longer of interest in the West: neither Impressionism, nor Symbolism, nor Expressionism, nor currents of neo-primitivism. Surrealism in Belarusian art appeared in the 70s — 80s of the last century, when it was already out in Europe. They started to forget about it there, but it had just come to us. I think we will be interested for a very long time not just in the form, but also in a person, their feelings and emotions — this is exactly the sphere of figurative art. Our person is changing very much, it's also interesting. And you don't even have to draw the person himself, it's enough to depict their environment and it can tell a lot about them, like May Danzig's still-life about the Great Patriotic War. There is no human being there, but there are objects that talk about this person's world view. I see interest in new forms, synthetic forms, but I don't

One’s own way

see approaching the border when interest in figurative art — natural, realistic — will fade away completely. I don't see any reason.

The market situation must also be taken into account. I've been to many modern exhibitions and even supervised some projects. We must not forget that the author is a person who needs to support his life and family resources. The market does not always suit us.

Sometimes we try to adjust to it, sometimes we want to change something. We have become more informative and we are beginning to influence the formation of the customers’ tastes, change their tastes, relations and inform them. That's why I don't see the situation as deplorable; on the contrary, it is extremely interesting.

— And why do people think that contemporary art is necessarily avant-garde, abstraction. Is there any distortion, substitution of concepts? After all, realistic visual art is also contemporary. And maybe one should take into account a longer period of time when they study the works of contemporary artists?

— I am against considering contemporary art as the one created only this year.

It should reflect a certain period of time — five, ten, fifteen, twenty years. According to experience of exhibitions, when the works of the 17th century are displayed, for example, quite often such artifacts look topical.

Contemporary art is a process of endless discussion. The works created within the last three days may be uninteresting, and if they are uninteresting, it means not quite modern. Maybe interest will appear later, or maybe never. Modern means interesting to a contemporary.

It is good to deal with a professional.

Even in conversation. Then the essence of the conversation turns out to be more meaningful, and the truth can be seen without any unnecessary ambiguity. We talked about art with Mikhail Borozna — a person, as they say, very well-known in certain circles. This fame is first and foremost connected with culture. We have great respect for Mikhail Borozna as a specialist in art criticism. And it is not a simple thing. Because he is a great expert in this field and enjoys prestige. He

also realizes himself in creativity. He is seriously engaged, and not without success, in graphics with elements of photo installation. In a word, art, which was the subject of our conversation, is the life of Mikhail Borozna, where he is sufficiently knowledgeable.

— As a specialist, you are well aware of the history of Belarusian painting. Is it possible to assess the current state of this type of fine art in comparison? If so, how do you see it?

— It is very difficult to compare. Although there are probably some similar things. For example, the Belarusian artist Aleshkevich — who lived in the 19th century — was educated in France and was a professor at St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Of course, he was connected to his native land.

But to try to assess his influence? It's not easy. It's quite difficult to speak about influence at that time. Although there are still the works by Belarusian authors outside Belarus which we know very little about. In general, the works that make up the history of Belarusian art make us take pride in the fact that Smuglevich is from Belarus, that the Lazarus Bogsha Cross was made here.

Not every country can say: Chagall used to work here, Malevich used to live and work here. Belarusians have always been in the context of international artistic practice.

— What trends in national fine arts have become most evident over the last decade?

— One of such traits is the traveler's diary. Pyramids are not so interesting for many Europeans, but our artists feel enthusiastic about them. I think it is good. Our vision is not blurred, we perceive the world with open eyes. For many people, the falling Tower of Pisa is a tourist attraction, and our artist experiences a huge surge of feelings. There is a large layer of traveler's impressions in art which are very expressive.

— According to you, Belarusian artists are mostly in the process of searching now. And if we abstract ourselves from travelers and take a deeper look, what is typical of the last decade?

— There is a noticeable respect for the technique of performance. Whether it is video installation, performance, paint-

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ing or graphics, Belarusian artists have a special attitude towards performing skills.

The literary component is less visible in art now. In the mid‑80s our graphic arts achieved notable success in illustrating poetry, prose and folklore. But this all was based on literature. It was not the fall of the Berlin Wall that influenced Belarusian artists, but Chernobyl. After all, after April 1986 the official art disappeared, it became meaningless and useless. Every family was affected by Chernobyl, and the worldview changed. Our artists became more focused on the problems of the inner world.

— To what extent does the main art school of the country, the Academy of Arts, focus on preserving the Belarusian art school?

— This is the main point. Proceeding from the situation in neighboring art schools in the Baltic countries, we are doing our best to preserve the uniqueness of the national art school and to give students not only universal skills and knowledge in art, but also to show our traditions. Because it is very easy to move away from them and forget. This is why the Academy focuses on it. Although there is already quite a lot of experimentation in education, students have extensive

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knowledge of art history, and the latest achievements are familiar to them. We try to make sure that our students are not aggressive towards any kind of creative practice. We emphasize that we are preparing a specialist for this country, and understand that it is very easy to dissolve into the surrounding world of contemporary art. We have a leading position in many respects; this applies to graphics. I am sure that the graphics department at our Academy is one of the best in Europe. We talk about it taking pride in national art, we wish this tradition to live and develop. The same goes for monumental art.

— What kind of teaching approaches are cultivated at the Academy of Arts?

Do you train a person for a specific profession or are you targeted at a creative perso­nality?

— These questions can be combined and it will be the right answer. Because we are dealing with a person who has ideas.

The academy works with a personality. The secret is simple: if you see that a person is extraordinary and gifted, do no harm.

— Let's talk about the artistic field in which you also work, I mean graphics.

What is it going through today?

— She has acquired mobility traits. It has become brighter, richer, even in colour. It accumulates the achievements of conceptual art, it is connected with texts, philosophical reflections. Graphics is in a dynamic state.

— What do you personally consider the main thing in your work as a graphic artist?

— It's hard to say. For me, the main thing is to think and create. So that this desire didn’t stop. Conceptualism is very influential. I have an emotional attitude to my work. What I want to share is the most important thing for me. In many ways I am even omnivorous. It’s not that if I draw a black square, it means that I will only make black squares in my life. I can be inspired both by some abstract thing and by some texture. It can be an architectural motif, a landscape, a portrait. The main thing is that it must correspond to my emotional state.

In my work, I want to be liked by anyone to the least extent.

— Do you want to foster the aesthetic taste of the viewer in your works?

— Probably, yes. There isn’t and will never be an aggressive trend in my work.

To date, there has been no disrespect in my creative destiny. I have always treated the world around me with respect, with love, with reverence for nature, for people. I am more interested in knowing the world, not in destroying it, in tearing it to pieces.

— What is your philosophy as an artist?

— I cannot answer it for one reason.

Philosophy in my understanding is a manifestation of wisdom. And wisdom is the quality of age. Philosophy is a very complex set of knowledge. I would simplify it.

For example: what is my reflection? I have talked about it. I view the world as a creative thing and would like to be in it myself.

I wouldn't risk calling myself a philosopher.

Because I don't know much about what kind of profession it is. I don't want to be an amateur — that's my philosophy.

— Do you trust your own intuition in your work?

— Yes. Intuition is compressed in time experience. Experience allows me to trust intuition. Not in everything, but in most cases. So far, my intuition hasn’t failed me, so I trust it.

— What future do you foresee for Belarusian fine arts?

— Bright. I am not an idealist, but I see it as very decent. Because the potential is very substantial. The achievements of the school allow us to say that our artists can find an adequate plastic language that is understandable not only to themselves, but also to citizens of other countries, other artists. Our art is in the state of entering into an active dialogue. Our new generation has no language barrier. In addition, the visual arts continue to improve their universal language. This is why I see the future as confident, bright. Not without challenges, of course. I am talking about young people who have a desire to create. Although art itself is not a smooth road. It is a hard way.

But without faith in the future, it is impossible to create anything.

By Veniamin Mikheyev.

Photo by the author.

Evgeny Pesetsky

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белару

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for you MagazIne

-394X

issn 2415

e nomy. Cultur

Politics. Eco

the fu

ture is

u s!

festival time

have bread! i the Belynich or-in-chief of yu” echenko, edit a nad Drutsts newspaper “Zar

Mikhail Karp

d, respecT r O w e h T hOnOur TO Ok, knOwledge — fOr The bO everyOne! TO www.belarus-magazine.by

Magazine for those who want to know more Six circulations – in Belarusian, English,

15-394x

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