In Lipetsk opened the “alley of feats” with busts of three Heroes – Safronov, Teperik and Belan

On the eve of the Day of Remembrance of those killed in the performance of official duties of employees of internal affairs bodies at the main entrance to the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Lipetsk region opened a sculptural composition “Alley of feats”.

It has busts of three employees of the Lipetsk police, awarded high ranks: Hero of the Soviet Union junior police lieutenant Andrei Semenovich Safronov and Heroes of Russia - senior lieutenant of the internal service Eduard Borisovich Belan and senior police sergeant Andrei Vladimirovich Teperik. This was reported in the MIA of Russia in the Lipetsk region.

The initiative of the regional department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Public Council under the department was implemented with the support of VTB Bank. The solemn ceremony was attended by the Governor of the Lipetsk region Igor Artamonov, Chairman of the regional Council of Deputies Vladimir Serikov, chief federal inspector for the Lipetsk region Irina Provalenkova, the leadership of the security forces of the region, relatives of the heroes and representatives of the Public Council. The honorary right to open the memorial was granted to the Governor Igor Artamonov and the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia for the Lipetsk region, police major-general Dmitry Petrov.

The sculptural composition was performed by Honored Architect of Russia Vladimir Dmitriev, members of the Union of Artists of Russia, sculptors Gennady Krivoprostov and Oksana Galichenko. The architectural project was led by the painter, chairman of the Lipetsk branch of the Union of Artists of Russia Sergey Tolcheev. Member of the Public Council under the Ministry of Internal Affairs, clerk of the Christ-Christmas Cathedral of Lipetsk Vladimir Maksimchuk performed a liturgy on the repose of Orthodox soldiers. Those present honored the memory of the heroes with a minute of silence and laid flowers at the foot of the memorial.

Behind every bust is the story of a feat. In April 1945, Andrei Safronov and his artillery crew destroyed four German Tiger tanks. By the decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR of June 27, 1945, he was awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the award of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal. In the autumn of 1945, Andrei Semenovich returned to his native land and worked as a district policeman in the Borinsky district police department.

Andrei Teperik and Eduard Belan were killed on September 5, 1999 in the Dagestani village of Novolakskoye. Senior police sergeant Teperik at a critical moment diverted the militants' fire to himself so that the wounded comrades could escape from the shelling, and died from a sniper's bullet. Eduard Belan, the surgeon of the Lipetsk riot police, was captured. The militants demanded the names of the commanders, reveal the location of OMON positions and force them to provide assistance to wounded terrorists. He refused - and was tortured and killed. By the decree of the President of the Russian Federation of October 22, 1999, both employees were posthumously awarded the title of Hero of Russia.

For the people of Lipsk, the Alley of Feats is not just a memorial. This is a reminder that there are specific actions behind each rank: a destroyed tank, fire taken away from comrades, commanders who were not extradited under torture. Busts near the building of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Internal Affairs become a point of memory for police officers, veterans and relatives of heroes - and a reference point for those who enter the service today.