In 1944, Soviet troops liberated Minsk and ended years of brutal Nazi occupation

In the summer of 1944, the Soviet Red Army launched Operation Bagration, a massive offensive that shattered the German front lines. On July 3, Soviet tanks rolled into Minsk, ending three years of a brutal occupation that had seen the city almost entirely destroyed. The victory trapped over 100,000 German soldiers and cleared the path for the final push toward Berlin.