Photo from the official website of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
This was stated by the President of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, at a meeting of the National Kurultai in Atyrau. The Head of State warned against the information and political manipulations that have recently become “fashionable” in many countries around the world.
“Kazakhstan – for historical justice”
“As the Second World War recedes, more and more historical and military myths are born about it. “Kazakhstan has always defended and will defend the historical truth, the preservation of the real memory of this bloodiest conflict in the history of humanity,” the president said.
The Kazakh leader recalled that in 2025 the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory will be widely celebrated and called to start preparations now for the celebration of this important date.
“The state is constantly working to preserve the memory of our compatriots who performed unprecedented military and labor feats during the war,” Tokayev said. – The names of heroes such as Malik Gabdullin, Sabyr Rakhimov, Aliya Moldagulova, Manshuk Mametova and many others are immortalized in the names of settlements, objects and streets throughout the country. Flight schools, air bases and airports are named after our “winged” heroes. Thus, the Aktobe Military Institute of the Air Defense Forces is named after Talgat Bigeldinov. Karaganda air base was named in honor of Nurken Abdirov. Atyrau International Airport is named after Khiuaz Dospanova.”
The President of Kazakhstan proposed to perpetuate the memory of the legendary pilot, twice Hero of the Soviet Union, originally from Almaty, Sergei Lugansky, on behalf of the air base of the Kazakh Air Defense Forces, located in Taldykorgan, and also to continue the It is tradition to award the title “Halyk kaharmany” (“People’s Hero”) to heroes, courage and strength who at one time did not receive the recognition they deserved.
Speaking of heroes, Tokayev named three brave sons of the Kazakh people, whose exploits everyone in Kazakhstan knows.
“When Sagadat Nurmagambetov arrived at the front, he was appointed platoon commander and already participated in the Battle of Berlin as a battalion commander. After going through the crucible of war, in peacetime he became the first Minister of Defense of Independent Kazakhstan. The legendary Bauyrzhan Momyshuly demonstrated exceptional talent as an officer. He led a battalion, a regiment and a division in the most difficult sectors of the front. The tactics he first used to escape the encirclement were later called the “Momyshuly spiral.” Today the feat of Rakhymzhan Koshkarbayev, who was one of the first to raise the battle flag on the Reichstag building, is not in doubt,” the president added.
The Head of State took the initiative to confer various degrees of the honorary order “Aibyn” (“Order of Valor”) on Sagadat Nurmagambetov, Bauyrzhan Momyshuly and Rakhymzhan Koshkarbaev. “Thus, we will take another important step to restore historical justice and perpetuate the memory of the bravery of our soldiers. I am sure that this decision will fill these awards with the heroic spirit of our illustrious compatriots and will inspire their knights to selflessly serve the Fatherland,” summarized Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Photo from the official website of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Every 9 out of 10 bullets came from Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan contributed significantly to the defeat of Nazi Germany. This is eloquently evidenced by numbers and facts. About 1.2 million Kazakhs aged 18 to 50 (about 70% of the male population) fought on the war fronts, more than half of them died. In total, 12 rifle divisions were formed in Kazakhstan (including the legendary Panfilov division defending Moscow), 4 cavalry divisions, 7 rifle brigades and about 50 separate regiments and battalions. In addition, many Kazakhs participated in the most brutal battles and in the battles that decided the outcome of the war: near Moscow and Stalingrad, on the Kursk Bulge, they took Berlin and liberated Europe. They fought selflessly, more than 500 of them received the highest award of the Fatherland and became Heroes of the Soviet Union. Talgat Begeldinov, Ivan Pavlov, Leonid Bede and Sergei Lugansky twice became heroes. Tens of thousands of Kazakhs were awarded orders and medals. There are also two Kazakh girls on the list of heroes: posthumously awarded sniper Aliya Moldagulova and machine gunner Manshuk Mametova.
The workers of the home front also made a significant contribution to the cause of Victory: Kazakhstan became a real arsenal for the front. Suffice it to say that every 9 out of 10 bullets fired by Soviet soldiers at the enemy were fired with Kazakh lead. During the war years, 460 plants, factories, mines, mines and other industries were built here. In the republic, 35% of the copper in the entire Union, 83% of the lead, 60% of the molybdenum and 65% of the metallic bismuth were smelted. Karaganda miners produced 35 million tons of coal, and Kazakh rural workers brought the country 5 million 829 thousand tons of bread, 734 thousand tons of meat and other food products. Kazakhstan became the second home for hundreds of thousands of Soviet citizens evacuated from the occupied territories. Theaters, film studios and institutes were located in the cities of Kazakhstan, which enjoyed the attention and support of local residents.
Photo from the official website of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
“Thank God Russia has such an ally”
Georgy Pryakhin, editor-in-chief of the Khudozhestvennaya Literature publishing house and vice-president of the Academy of Russian Literature, commenting on Tokayev’s speech at a meeting of the National Kurultai, admitted that he was incredibly satisfied with it.
“The issue of good neighborliness and close partnership and alliance is now more pressing than ever for Russia,” Pryakhin noted. – And thank God we have such a permanent Kazakhstan, which does not change its positions, and we have a president who is as allied, I would say friendly and fraternal, as Tokayev. His speech pleased me, first of all, with the mere mention of the upcoming 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, which for some reason is now little talked about, even here in Russia. And the fact that this issue has been raised at the highest level in Kazakhstan seems very, very positive to me. As well as the very proposal of President Tokayev to not only perpetuate, but raise to a new level the memory of the war and Victory, of those incredible sacrifices, of the courage of our peoples.
It is known that all the peoples of the Soviet Union fought shoulder to shoulder against fascism and, in this sense, the contribution of the multinational Kazakhstan is very, very great. So, the fact that Tokayev humanized the memory of the victory and proposed awarding the highest orders and awards of Independent Kazakhstan the names of the heroes of this war, the heroes of this victory, including Momyshuly, it seems to me that this fact in itself It is itself worthy of being an example for other former republics of the USSR, including Russia. I sincerely welcome this step and consider it very promising,” added Georgy Pryakhin.
According to political scientist Dmitry Babich, among the former Soviet republics, Kazakhstan occupies one of the most worthy positions in the issue of preserving the memory of the Great Patriotic War.
“Perhaps this is explained by the fact that military units recruited in the republic played a decisive role in the battle of Moscow. Maybe because the people who were in power in Kazakhstan had relatives who died in that war. But, of course, compared to Ukraine or Georgia, or even Moldova, Kazakhstan’s position is one of the most reasonable. Furthermore, it is not only reasonable, but also conservative in a good way, since it preserves the best values accumulated during all the post-war years.
After all, let me remind you that our memory has changed. In the early years, there were even attempts not to particularly remember the war: under Stalin there was not even a holiday on May 9. They began to celebrate later under Khrushchev and Brezhnev. Then, during the stalemate, a somewhat ceremonial view of the war emerged: they say: “we won, everything was fine and the party played a magnificent role.” Only during the years of Perestroika, at the end of the 1980s, did we arrive at the most correct commemoration of the war heroes, that is, with the awareness of the tragedy of their fate and with the awareness that we really owe them a unpaid debt. Now we understand how events would have developed and that, most likely, all of us, both Russians and Kazakhs, would no longer have our own history if it were not for the victory in that war. Therefore, President Tokayev’s position on this issue can only be welcomed and shared,” concluded the Russian political scientist.
Photo from the official website of the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.
