Dear veterans, dear colleagues!
On behalf of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus and on my own behalf, I congratulate you on the upcoming holiday holy for the entire Belarusian people, Victory Day!

On May 9, 1945, the Act of Unconditional Surrender of Germany was signed. "Our cause is just, the enemy will be defeated, victory will be ours!" – these words from the address of the Deputy Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR V. M. Molotov became the main leitmotif of the Great Victory back in June 1941. For almost four years, long, full of losses, sacrifices and struggle, the Soviet people were moving towards their goal.

Today we honor the feat of all those who contributed to the defeat of fascism. Military personnel, partisans, home front workers – all united by a single goal – to protect their land, their people, their families and loved ones from invaders. We remember the "children of war" – those who were partisan contacts, who helped the underground, were the "son of the regiment" or simply managed to survive in the terrible crucible of war to give life to new generations.

In the Great Patriotic War, the role of scientists is significant, who fought shoulder to shoulder with soldiers on the front line, worked day and night in laboratories, created new weapons samples in the shortest possible time, developed military field medicine, did everything to help the country withstand and defeat fascism. In the post-war years, the achievements of scientists allowed the Belarusian people to quickly restore the republic, create a powerful scientific and educational sphere, competitive industry and agriculture.

Today, the campaign to rewrite the history of the Second World War and attempts to whitewash war criminals and their accomplices are of particular concern. At this time, our historical memory of the Soviet people’s victory in the Great Patriotic War should be the foundation that will become the basis of our pride in our country and its heroic past. The basis for uniting all generations of Belarusian citizens. A special role in preserving this historical truth and memory belongs to historical scientists, archivists, who do a lot to perpetuate the feat of the Soviet people.

The Academy of Sciences sacredly honors the memory of veterans and their feat. Traditionally, on the eve of May 9, we visit war veterans and concentration camp prisoners, congratulate them and present them gifts. Places of military glory and graves of fallen soldiers are not ignored.

Victory Day is one of the main holidays in the life of each of us. We must remember that war so that it really becomes the last one on the territory of our country.

I bow low to you, dear veterans!
Good health, long life and warmth!
I sincerely wish you all well-being and success!
Happy Victory Day!

Vladimir GUSAKOV,
Chairman of the Presidium of the NAS of Belarus, Academician