Archive footage filmed in June-August 1944 features Soviet troops, artillery, tanks and the air force participating in 'Operation Bagration' - also known as the Minsk offensive - to liberate the country from Nazi forces during World War II.

The video shows Soviet tanks and aviation carrying out combat operations in the Minsk direction, with soldiers seen fighting on the ground. Red Army servicemen can also be seen demining residential areas of Bobruisk as well as the liberation of Gomel.

German Nazi soldiers can also be seen inspecting vehicles and checking on residents’ documents in Minsk, while heavy machinery is shown being used for the construction of the defensive fortifications near the Belarusian capital.

Moreover, the footage features Belarus residents greeting Soviet soldiers arriving in the area before and after the liberation.

Operation Bagration, one of the largest Soviet operations of WWII involving 2.3 million troops, was fought between June 22 and August 19, 1944 on the Eastern Front during World War II. During this time, the Soviet Red Army destroyed 28 out of 34 German divisions, with Minsk liberated on July 3.

During the operation, Soviet army casualties on land reportedly amounted to 180,000, including those missing. Germany saw around 450,000 killed while over 150,000 soldiers and officers surrendered.

This archive footage is released as part of the '100 Key Events in Russia in the 20th and 21st Centuries', a project with the Russian State Documentary Film and Photo Archive (rgakfd.ru).