June 22 is the Day of National Remembrance of the victims of the Great Patriotic War and the Genocide of the Belarusian people.
Sunday, 22 June 2025Annually on June 22, Belarus observes the Day of National Remembrance of the Victims of the Great Patriotic War and the Genocide of the Belarusian People. This memorial date was established by Presidential Decree No. 117 dated March 23, 2022, in accordance with the Law "On the Genocide of the Belarusian People" adopted on January 5 of the same year. This day serves as a reminder of the tragic events when Nazi criminals and their accomplices, as well as nationalist formations, systematically exterminated the civilian population of Belarus.
During the occupation, over 260 death camps and sites of mass executions were established on the territory of Belarus. Among the most notorious are Trostenets, Khatyn, Ozarichi, and Krasny Bereg. According to incomplete data, about 1.5 million people perished in these camps. More than 9,000 settlements were destroyed across the country.
The Great Patriotic War became one of the bloodiest and most devastating conflicts in human history. Belarus lost every third inhabitant. These losses left a deep national wound, the memory of which will forever remain in the hearts of Belarusians.