Pyotr Kolpakov, veteran of the Great Patriotic War from Belarus, participant in the ISHR project “Tell me about the War,” dies at the age of 97

Participants of the ISHR project “Tell me about the War” grieve over the death of a veteran, winner of the Stalingrad and Kursk battles

On January 3, 2021, Pyotr Kolpakov, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War from Belarus, a participant in the Stalingrad and Kursk battles, died, “Brestskaya Gazeta” reports via “Brestsky Vestnik” and the authorities of the city of Brest. We knew that in the last months of 2020 he did not feel well, therefore he could not take part in the December presentations of the film “Tell me about the War” of the Belarusian section of the ISHR in person.

Petr Kolpakov took an active part in the 2020 ISHR project “Tell me about the War.” Below is an excerpt from his interview given to the Belarusian section of the ISHR in July 2020:

I met May 9, 1945, in the suburbs of Berlin. A large group of Hitler’s troops, surrounded near the German capital, did not want to surrender to the last, but on May 8 the Nazis surrendered. On that day, we were stacking captured weapons and ammunition until late, so we were very tired and went to sleep. At 2:00 am on May 9, the man on duty suddenly woke everyone up, “Stop sleeping, the war is over!” Jumping for joy, like everyone else, I unloaded two clips of my personal TT pistol into the air.

Petr Kolpakov was 97 years old. Participants of the ISHR project “Tell me about the War” grieve over the irreparable loss and express condolences to the family and friends of the veteran.

Pavel Pernikau, member of the board, head of the press center of the Belarusian section of the ISHR