On June 26, 2026, the closing ceremony of the XVIII military-patriotic sports meeting of Orthodox youth took place on the basis of the Polotsk border detachment. The event, which took place over six days, brought together more than 120 participants from 12 dioceses of the Belarusian Exarchate (Moscow Patriarchate): Bobruisk, Borisov, Brest, Vitebsk, Gomel, Grodno, Minsk, Mogilev, Molodechno, Pinsk, Polotsk and Slutsk. The event was organized within the framework of the Cooperation Agreement between the Border Guard Service of the Republic of Belarus and the Belarusian Exarchate.
The program of the rally included sports and military-patriotic competitions, acquaintance with the Polotsk border detachment, demonstration performances by military personnel of the maneuver group, an exhibition of weapons and equipment, presentation of video business cards of teams, a captain's competition, watching military-patriotic films and bonfires of friendship. The boys competed in shooting, pull-up, running, mini-football and volleyball, demonstrated drill and songs. But the main thing remained spiritual content: daily prayers, conversations with priests, dialogue platforms about moral choice and service to the Fatherland.
A special place in the program was occupied by the requiem rally, which took place on June 22 at 4 a.m. The participants paid tribute to the memory of the border guard heroes who fell in the early days of the Great Patriotic War, exactly 85 years ago they took the first blow of the enemy. The Divine Liturgy was led by Archpriest Sergiy Loboda, Deputy Chairman of the Synodal Department of the Belarusian Exarchate for Cooperation with the Armed Forces and Other military formations of the Republic of Belarus, rector of the Holy Cross Church in Mogilev, who united everyone in a common prayer for the soldiers who laid down their lives for the faith and the Fatherland.
The closing ceremony was a bright finale. The event was attended by Bishop Eusebius of Drutsky, Vicar of the Vitebsk Diocese, Colonel Andrei Krupsky, representative of the State Border Committee, Mikhail Oxenyuk, deputy of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, and the leadership of the Polotsk district. The speakers emphasized that such gatherings not only develop physical strength, but also nurture character, teach responsibility and camaraderie, and introduce them to the origins of national memory.
After summing up the results, the jury named the best in the team and individual competitions. The winners received cups, diplomas and memorable gifts. But the main reward, according to many participants, was new friends, a sense of unity and pride in their country.