100th anniversary of the Sluck Defence: official address by President I. Survilla

My dear fellow Belarusians!

One hundred years ago, the Belarusian people arose to defend their homeland from the invasion of the East. The Sluck brigade – ten thousand people under the flag of the Belarusian Democratic Republic – “went to die so that the Fatherland could live.” For one hundred years, Belarusians in the free world have proudly been celebrating this day with gratitude to the heroic military act of the Sluck Army Brigade.

In 2020, the historical heroes of Sluck were joined by hundreds of thousands of new heroes who came out under white-red-white flags to liberate their land from lies, violence and oppression by a man who betrayed his oath to the Constitution of Belarus and has been trading the Belarusian people as his personal property.

Our new heroes are our youth, our women, our pensioners and our disabled compatriots; doctors who try to save the people from the terrible coronavirus, students, athletes. Every Belarusian with a beating Belarusian heart will never forget the hatred with which the brutal security forces have been beating, injuring and killing their people. We shall not forget and we shall fight to win.

The whole world admires the dignity of our people, is compassionate and willing to help Belarus. The Belarusian diaspora abroad supports its homeland as much as it can. There is no civilized country that does not sympathize with our people today.

Dear compatriots, I tell you in faith: we will win!

Thanks to the heroes of 2020 – our Sluck Heroes of the 21st century – Belarus will take its rightful place in the family of free peoples of the world. They will free their people from under the boot of a shameful impostor.

So glory to the heroes of Belarus! Our people will never forget your heroism!

Long live Belarus!

Ivonka Survilla
President of the Belarusian Democratic Republic in Exile

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