‘The last peaceful day’

Belarusians reenact the final days before the USSR’s entry into World War II

“The last peaceful day” is a historical reenactment that the southwestern city of Brest, Belarus, began to put on in 2011. Participants recreate the events of June 21 and 22, 1941 — the last peaceful days before the Soviet Union’s entry into the Second World War, and the beginning of the defense of the Brest Fortress (the first major battle of the Axis invasion of the USSR). In 2020, Brest was forced to cancel its annual historical reenactment because of the coronavirus pandemic. Meduza shares Russian photographer Oksana Yushko’s snapshots from last year’s event.

Photos by Oksana Yushko