Opinions & Interviews

Lukashenko: Wartime events at Stalin’s Line teach us to be always ready to repulse aggression

MINSK DISTRICT, 20 April (BelTA) – The wartime events at Stalin’s Line teach us to be always ready to repulse any aggression, Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko told the journalists as he took part in the nationwide voluntary clean-up day at the historical and cultural complex Stalin’s Line on 20 April, BelTA has learned.

“This is the lesson, that unknown history of our country we must know. This lesson teaches us to be always ready to repulse any act of aggression against us,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

The head of state noted that when the historical and cultural complex was developed, many spoke against it and blamed the authorities for perpetuating the memory of Stalin.

“I did not revive the name of Stalin, although he also deserves it. I revived this place which is related to our history and which was, unfortunately, misunderstood at that time,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

In his words, there were attempts to stop the construction of the complex.

Stalin’s Line was set up at the place of the Minsk region fortifications which were stretching 2,000km during the war.   

“If it worked as was planned, the Nazis would have had hard times here. I assume that the fascists would be unlikely to overcome it. Due to recklessness, and this is a lesson for us, we lost Belarus within a month and a half. Nothing was left of Belarus. Where people fought for real, they were able to hold off the fascists for 20-25 days,” the president said.

Today, Aleksandr Lukashenko said, Belarus improves its army on a regular basis, depending on the international situation, the emergence of new warfare methods. The focus is on mobile troops, the head of state added.

Speaking about the importance of the complex Stalin’s Line, the head of state noted that this historical and cultural complex is popular not only with the people living in the post-Soviet space. Tourists from Western Europe come here to see the wartime military hardware and also modern weapons.

“We will continue developing this site in order to bring up true patriots able to defend themselves, their families, children and our country,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said.

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