07.07.2020.
Exhibition “The Unstoppable March of the Red Army on the Road to Berlin” at the Central Military Club
Exhibition “The Unstoppable March of the Red Army on the Road to Berlin”, organized on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the end of World War II, was opened today in the Small Gallery of the Central Military Club.
Andrija Jorgić, the director of “Borba” Company, Miroslav Toholj, Head of the Publishing Division of Media Centre “Odbrana”, and the director of that institution, Lieutenant Colonel Biljana Pašić, who declared the exhibition open, talked about the exhibition which comprises about 80 photographs by unknown military photographers of the Red Army, preserved in the archives of the “Borba” Company, which were complemented for this occasion by a selection from battle plans for the participation of the Russian forces in the liberation of Serbia in the autumn of 1944.
The Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, as special custodians of national values, always pay due attention to marking important jubilees and events that are woven into the freedom-loving tradition of our people, whatever the times or circumstances – said Lieutenant Colonel Pašić.- History is full of events which testify that morals, fair fight and military skills are the only means of achieving true victory. This was the case in World War II as well, when our people, with the help of freedom-loving nations of the world, resolutely responded to the fascist threat – pointed out the director of Media Centre “Odbrana” and added that marking the 75th anniversary of the victory over fascism at a time when we are witnessing attempts to revise historical facts – is of great importance.
She expressed belief that the exhibition, in addition to paying due respect to the contribution of the Red Army to the victory of the Allies of World War II, is also “repaying the debt to the unknown authors of the photographs” and she noted that “we should remember those professionals, whose job was, just like some of us today, to leave behind documents about one time, often exposing themselves to risk and danger”.
Expressing gratitude to Dragan Vujičić, Andrija Jorgić and historian Mile Bjelajac, for the contribution to setting up the exhibition, the Head of Publishing Division of the Media Centre “Odbrana”, Miroslav Toholj, recounted how, almost by accident, while searching for photographs to illustrate a new publication of this publishing house, dedicated to the contribution of the Red Army to the liberation of the Serbian capital, they found valuable photographs that the Serbian and Russian public know little about, in the archives of “Borba” Company, in a folder behind a steel safe “which had not been moved for 75 years”.
- Apart from marking the 75th anniversary of the victory over fascism, the aim of the exhibition is to provide evidence to the historians who are fighting against the revision of the history of World War II, which will help stop falsifying facts on historical events – emphasized Toholj.The director of the “Borba” Company, Andrija Jorgić, said that the fact that the exhibited photographs were found in a metal safe in “Borba” is a proof that this institution was a status symbol of the former state and expressed hope that it would be the same today.
- Four months ago we started our magazine again, and the largest part of the next issue will be dedicated to the exhibition – announced Jorgić, who indicated that the project of digitalization of “Borba’s” archives will be continued in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture.
The photographs presented today were prepared for an exhibition planned in the Serbian capital in 1945, but it cannot be said with certainty that it saw the light of day then, which makes it especially interesting today.The exhibition “The Unstoppable March of the Red Army on the Road to Berlin” in the Small Gallery of the Central Military Club in Belgrade will be open until 27th July.
