The Brest Fortress became a symbol of the courage and fortitude of our people, their will to win, as it was the first to face the attack of the brown plague on our country and demonstrated unprecedented resistance. Konstantin Simonov’s words convey this very succinctly: «When people talk about courage, they remember Brest; when people talk about trials, they remember Brest; when people talk about lives given for our land, they remember Brest. This is the beginning of the war that we all share, a symbol of that beginning — tragic and heroic...»

On the day of Germany’s attack on the Soviet Union, seven rifle battalions and one reconnaissance battalion, two artillery divisions, some special units of regiments and units, and reserves of individual units were stationed in the Brest Fortress. Unfortunately, the units were not deployed in combat formation and did not occupy positions on the border lines. Some units were in camps, at training grounds, and building fortifications. At the time of the attack, there were between 7,000 and 8,000 Soviet soldiers in the fortress, as well as 300 military families. All of this is described in detail in the Museum of the Defense of the Brest Fortress.

From the very first minutes of the war, Brest and the fortress were subjected to massive aerial bombardment and artillery fire. The Brest Fortress was stormed by the German 45th Infantry Division (17,000 soldiers and officers) in cooperation with the 31st and 34th Infantry Divisions of the 4th German Army, as well as two tank divisions of Guderian’s army group, with active support from aviation and artillery. The enemy hoped to take the citadel by surprise and force the Soviet garrison to surrender. Before that, the enemy conducted a targeted barrage of fire on the fortress, advancing 100 meters every 4 minutes. As a result of the shelling and fires, most of the warehouses and the garrison’s equipment were destroyed, the water supply was cut off, and communications were interrupted. The headquarters were mostly located in the city. A significant number of soldiers and commanders were killed immediately, and the garrison was divided into separate groups.

At the very beginning of the war, border guards at the Terespol fortification, Red Army soldiers, and cadets from regimental schools engaged in combat with the enemy. Their stubborn resistance allowed almost half of the personnel to leave the fortress on the morning of June 22, take several boxes and light tanks to the areas where their units were stationed, and evacuate the first wounded. About 4,000 Soviet soldiers remained in the fortress.

The enemy had almost a 10-fold advantage. Each of the units organized its defense as best it could. On the afternoon of June 24, a meeting of commanders and political workers was held to decide on the creation of a combined combat group. Captain Zubachev was appointed commander of the group, with Regimental Commissar Fomin as his deputy. Attempts were made to break through the encirclement, but they were unsuccessful, and the enemy destroyed the daredevils.

The small garrison that remained in the fortress continued to fight with incredible tenacity. The Red Army soldiers had to repel 6-8 attacks a day. The fascists used tanks, flamethrowers, and gas, and set fire to barrels filled with a combustible mixture, which they rolled down the outer ramparts. Completely surrounded, without water or food, and with a severe shortage of ammunition and medicine, the garrison fought the enemy. By mid-July, a small group of fighters led by Major Gavrilov was still fighting in the Eastern Fort. Severely wounded and exhausted, he was taken prisoner on July 23. But even after that date, individual soldiers continued to resist.

The final days of the battle are covered with legends. After liberation, inscriptions left by the defenders were found on the walls of the fortress: «We will die, but we will not leave the fortress», «I am dying, but not giving up. Farewell, Motherland. July 20, 1941». Incidentally, none of the flags of the military units that fought in the fortress fell into enemy hands.

The defenders of the fortress, soldiers of more than 30 nationalities, fulfilled their military duty to the end and performed one of the greatest feats in the history of the Great Patriotic War. Later, Major Gavrilov and Lieutenant Kizhevatov were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. About 200 participants in the defense were awarded orders and medals.

On May 8, 1965, by decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, the fortress was awarded the honorary title of «Brest Hero Fortress». From 1968, a memorial complex was built on the territory of the fortress, which was solemnly opened on September 25, 1971. Today, the memorial complex is one of the most recognizable and popular tourist attractions in Belarus. It has already been visited by 27 million people from different countries.

According to Alexander Karkatadze, Director of the Brest Hero Fortress Memorial Complex, in the first three months of 2025 alone, visitors from 10 countries visited the fortress, and last year it welcomed tourists from 29 countries: «Despite attempts to falsify history, rewrite it, and revise the decisive contribution of the Soviet people to the Victory, people are coming to the Brest Fortress. They are coming to learn the truth.

Interest in our memorial is growing. Another area of work carried out by the memorial complex team is participation in the organization and conduct of events aimed at patriotic education of young people. On the Ceremonial Square, children are accepted into the Pioneer organization, student ID cards are handed out, and soldiers take their oaths.»

Svetlana Yaskevich