Attention is priceless: in Minsk, the 101-year-old participant of Operation Bagration Fedor Feshchenko was honored

A true patriot has a spiritual component - love for his homeland, people. This veteran of the Great Patriotic War, a participant in Operation Bagration, Honored Labor Veteran Fedor Feshchenko said in comments to journalists after honoring on the occasion of the 101st birthday, reports sb.by.

The veteran noted that in life, the spiritual component is the readiness to protect this spirituality, and perhaps even your homeland, performing feats. He added that it is possible to perform feats in peacetime.

Students of secondary school No. 7 and children's music school No. 5 of the city of Minsk came to honor the veteran, who gave Fedor Feshchenko congratulations and musical surprises. The veteran addressed the young people with a message:

- First of all, I want to make the right choice in life and follow the chosen path to my goal. I wish to preserve health, honor and dignity in youth.

- I walk for over an hour. Neighbors look, wonder. Unfortunately, there are few like-minded people in my way of life here, among the residents of these houses. But in our house I was and remain an example, said the veteran.

Almost every weekend he goes to the country, grows grapes. Fedor Feshchenko remembered how in his youth, when he was just married, every weekend he took skis, a small backpack, and in it a sandwich and a thermos with coffee or tea - and on the train.

- I go to Zhdanovichi, and there the Institute of Physical Education trains its students at a distance of 10 and 15 kilometers. They already knew me. And I run 10 kilometers, he said.

- Give it loads, don't pity the body. And get over that load. Well, now I can play weights, said Fedor Feshchenko.

In honor of the 101st anniversary of the veteran, as well as on the eve of the Day of Elderly People of the famous Minsk citizen, the Chairman of the Standing Committee of the House of Representatives on Labor and Social Affairs, Irina Kostevich, as well as other numerous guests, visited today.

- These three words – active, healthy longevity – formed the basis of the National Strategy “Active Longevity” in Belarus, which defines a number of areas. A lot is being done in our country, such as promoting employment. Since 2025, restrictions on the size of pensions for working pensioners have been lifted, so that people of retirement age go to work, share their experience and knowledge with the younger generation, if, of course, their health allows them.

The state takes care of pensions, on which the quality of life depends. Just recently, from September 1, labor pensions were increased by an average of 5 percent and the average age pension in September amounted to 1125 rubles. The annual increase is about 15 percent, she said.

- In the implementation of the strategy of active longevity, leisure issues are no less important. For example, there are councils of the elderly, where their participants help to develop, including at the state level, proposals on various areas of socio-economic development of the country. Just last week I returned from a gathering of citizens of the older generation of the Union State. At this event, the atmosphere of enjoying life and the desire to move on, share the positive and their results reigned, said Irina Kostevich.

- And there is a task to make sure that there are more such citizens involved in active social, creative, sports life, said Irina Kostevich.

Photo: House of Representatives