Last defender of Brest Fortress dies at age of 96 in Israel

A WW II veteran and the last defender of the Brest Fortress Boris Faershtein, 96, who lived in Ashdod died in Israel, reports «Lenta.ru».

The Brest Fortress was attacked by German troops on 22 June 1941, on the first day of the Great Patriotic War. The defence of the fortress lasted till late August. Boris Faershtein was 21 and he served at fort 5 of the Brest Fortress. He got a contused wound during the step-back the Soviet Army performed. Later, he was taken captive. He managed to survive thanks to the fact that he could speak Tatar and said he was a Crimean Tatarian. It helped him to escape the so called “selection”.

The veteran was rescued from the captivity shortly before the victory. After the WW II, Boris Faershtein worked as a teacher at a school of one of the small towns of northern Crimea. In 1990s, he repatriated to Israel. Boris Faershtein was an active member of the local veteran organization the final days of his life.

As it was reported by Russkiy Mir website, two participants of the attack on the Reichstag building passed away in late 2015.