Location

Noviki is a village in the Grodno region. It is about 30 km fr om Grodno.

Historical References

Noviki was first mentioned in the chronicles in the XVI century. Before becoming part of the Russian Empire in 1815, these lands were part of Prussia and Poland. In 1939, the village, like many settlements of Western Belarus, joined the BSSR.

Population

More than a thousand inhabitants live in the village and in the adjacent urban settlement Sopotskin.

Sights

The village Noviki, as well as the nearby settlements Usovo and Sopotskin, played an important role in containing the Nazi German army in the early days of the Great Patriotic War. A building was not far from the village Usovo, wh ere once was a monastery. It is about 7 km from the settlement Sopotskin. There was formed an outpost under the command of Lieutenant Viktor Usov. At the beginning of military operations, it took half an hour for Hitler's soldiers to liquidate such outposts. A squad under the command by Usov resisted the enemy for ten hours. The enemy needed tanks to break through. Only 36 Soviet soldiers contained the Nazi aggressors. The courage and fortitude of the Soviet soldiers allowed them, without machine gun bunkers, caused serious damage on the enemy army. The commander of the outpost received five wounds, but he continued fighting shoulder to shoulder with his soldiers. The Lieutenant died in the trench in front of the gates. Later, here appeared a memorial cross and common grave.

Viktor Mikhailovich Usov was born in 1916. After finishing the high school, he was qualified as an electrician. In 1937, the future lieutenant joined the army. By decision of the draft commission, Usov got into the border troops. After graduating from the Kharkov Military School, the diligent soldier commanded the third border outpost of the 86^th border detachment.

In 1965, the courage and heroism of Viktor Mikhailovich Usov were appreciated. The commander of the outpost was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union. In addition, he was posthumously awarded the Order of Lenin.

Nowadays, the area of the former outpost of Usov is a functioning border zone, it is required a special permission for visiting. It is strategically important since it is located at the junction of the Belarusian, Polish and Lithuanian territories. There is a museum dedicated to military operations in 1941.