Westvleteren - Tombs of prisoners of war and partisans dead in Belgium during World War II
List of Soviet military graves in Belgium
- Arlon
- Awenne
- Balen
- Bruxelles, Etterbeek
- Bruxelles, Evere
- Bruxelles, Ixelles
- Champlon
- Chapelle-lez-Herlaimont
- Chimay
- Comblain-au-Pont
- Dotsenko Tree (Bois de Stepennes)
- Engreux
- Flawinne
- Fleurus (Vieux-Campinaire)
- Genk
- Gent
- Han-sur-Lesse
- Han-sur-Lesse
- Hannut
- Houthalen
- Hoves /Silly
- Jumet-Gohyssart
- Koersel
- Kortemark
- Lanklaar
- Leopoldsburg
- Les Villettes
- Leuven
- Linden
- Liège, Citadelle
- Liège, Cointe
- Liège, Robermont
- Liège, Saint-Walburge
- Marchienne-au-Pont
- Maurage
- Montignies-sur-Sambre
- Morlanwez
- Mussy-la-Ville
- Namur, Belgrad
- Nidrum
- Peissant
- Proven
- Quévy
- Rebecq
- Reninge
- Robertville (Orthodox cross)
- Sougné-Remouchamps
- Sprimont (Dotsenko Monument)
- Stal-Koersel
- Tessenderlo
- Trois Ponts
- Westvleteren
- Zolder
Westvleteren
In the churchyard of Westvleteren (West Flanders province) there is a grave of a Soviet prisoner of war. According to the available information, Fedor Furman (born in 1923, a native of Ukraine) who was buried here, died in August 1944 during the construction of a secret facility of Wehrmacht, codenamed “V1”.
In total, at least six Soviet citizens died in this area during the period from July to September 1944. They mere members of the construction crew transferred to Belgium and created by the SS from among the prisoners of Sylt concentration camp, which was located on the Alderney Island occupied by German troops. Graves of other members of the crew are located in the settlements of Proven, Kortemark and Reninge.
The grave is located next to the church building. On the concrete cross there is a plate with the inscription in Flemish “TjedorFourman, slachtoffernazi-terreur, + zomer1944” (“Fedor Furman, victim of Nazi terror, died in the summer of 1944”). According to the updated information, the cause of the death was beating by guards after an attempt to escape.
The grave was discovered in June 2010 with the assistance of Luc Vanackere from the Free Technical School in Ypres
Annual memorial ceremonies
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2012
Dear visitors,
We would like to draw your attention to the fact that spelling of the names, surnames and places of birth of Soviet citizens buried in Belgium may be distorted due to the fact that they are quite often written only in Flemish and French in registration books and on monuments.
We thank the Brussels-Belgian Archdiocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, the organizations of Russian compatriots and Russian foreign institutions accredited in Belgium for providing photos and their efforts to preserve the memory of the heroism of the Soviet soldiers who fell in the Great Patriotic War.
The Embassy will be grateful for providing any information and photos of Soviet military graves of the Second World War in Belgium and the ceremonies held on them. Please send material to the email address of the Embassy amrusbel@skynet.be with the note «War Graves».