Thousands of people gathered at the Brest Hero-Fortress Memorial Complex early Monday morning to participate in a memorial rally marking the Day of Nationwide Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War and the Genocide of the Belarusian People.

The event commemorated the 85th anniversary of the Nazi German invasion of the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Brest Fortress was among the first targets of the invasion and became a symbol of resistance after its defenders continued fighting for weeks despite being heavily outnumbered and caught by surprise.

The ceremony brought together senior government officials, military personnel, clergy, representatives of public organizations, and foreign delegations. Among those attending were Metropolitan Veniamin of Minsk and Zaslavl, Patriarchal Exarch of All Belarus, Russian State Duma Chairman Vyacheslav Volodin, and Belarusian Deputy Prime Minister Natalya Petkevich.

A message from Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko was read by Igor Sergeyenko, chairman of the House of Representatives. In his address, Lukashenko described June 22, 1941, as one of the most tragic dates in the nation’s history and stressed the importance of preserving the memory of the war and its victims.

One of the most emotional moments of the memorial rally was a performance of the wartime anthem “The Sacred War” by Belarusian and Russian artists. The musical and choreographic presentation recalled the dramatic events of the first days of the German invasion.

As part of a longstanding tradition, border guards lit a torch from the Eternal Flame of Brest Fortress and placed wreaths with candles into the waters of the Western Bug River. Participants also laid flowers at the Eternal Flame and the necropolis memorial before observing a minute of silence in honor of the fallen.

“We remember with gratitude and admiration the feat of the defenders of Brest Fortress and all those who brought Victory closer,” Metropolitan Veniamin said. “Today we speak of grateful remembrance.” He added that preserving the memory of the war should help strengthen unity and friendship among nations.

This year’s commemorations carried additional significance following a visit by Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia to Brest Fortress on June 21. During his visit, the Russian Orthodox Church leader toured St. Nicholas Garrison Cathedral, one of the fortress’s historic churches, and conducted a memorial service for the defenders of Brest Fortress and all those who died during the Great Patriotic War.

Speaking at the site, Patriarch Kirill shared a personal connection to the fortress. He said that his uncle Vladimir, after whom he was named, went missing near Brest during the first days of the war.

“If there had been no Brest Fortress and no such sacrifices, our troops would not have entered Berlin and crushed the terrible force that sought to enslave the world,” the Patriarch said.

He called on people to preserve the memory of the heroes who absorbed the first blow of the war and whose sacrifices contributed to the eventual victory.

Today, the Brest Hero-Fortress Memorial Complex remains one of the most important sites of remembrance of World War II in the former Soviet Union. The complex preserves battlefield ruins, memorials, museum exhibitions, and the restored St. Nicholas Garrison Cathedral, where fighting also took place during the fortress’s defense in 1941.

The memorial rally concluded with a ceremonial march by members of the Brest garrison, law enforcement personnel, and emergency service officers. For the thousands in attendance, the event served both as a tribute to those who lost their lives and as a reminder of the cost of peace secured by the wartime generation.