Russian troops cross the Dnieper River.

Russian troops cross the Dnieper River. Russian soldiers advance across the Dnieper River in the mounting offensive against the Germans resulting in the recapture of Minsk July 3, 1944. Advancing with unparalleled speed, the Russian army drove the Nazis from Vitebsk, Orsha and Mogilev before pushing on through Minsk, the key Nazi defense bastion in the sector.