War Hero Alexey Botjan

World War II is sinking deeper and deeper in history, and WAR HEROES are leaving us. Alexey Botjan, legendary War Hero, left us several days ago at the age of 103.

Alexey Boltjan was a famous intelligence agent who leaded one of two scout groups which prevented destruction of Krakov (Poland) by Germans at the end of the War in 1944. Germans were planning to arrange explosions all around Krakov to prevent advance of the Soviet Red Army. For that purpose they kept a great amount of explosives in an old castle near Krakov. Boltjan managed to recruit one of the guards, place a mine inside the castle and arrange a great explosion, destroying the stock of explosives. Thus the Germans failed to fulfill their plan due to lack of explosives and Krakov was saved.

Symbolically, he was Byelorussian be nationality, started to act against Germans as a soldier of the Polish Army and then acted in the Soviet Army. This shows that the victory over fascism is a joint doing of many nations, it can not be a subject of trading and political games, it can not be cut into pieces and distributed between modern politicians.

When I look into the eyes of the Heroes, even on the pictures, I feel ashamed of that political Willy Waving around Victory in WWII, which all we recently see. We should just bow our heads before them in respect, notwithstanding their nationality.

And still one more thing worries me… If need comes, will we manage to be as strong as they were?