On the anniversary of the victory in the Battle of Stalingrad, a march was held

At the invitation of the Ministry of Defense, employees of the Tourism Development Fund in KR took part in a five-kilometer march, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the defeat of German fascist troops by the Soviet troops in Stalingrad.

The Kyrgyz military noted that the race, which was held on January 27, was devoted to the feat of soldiers of the 98th and 99th separate rifle brigades, called from the Kyrgyz SSR and other countries of Central Asia. In December 1942, 1943, they made a 350-kilometer march from the city of Elista (Kalmykia) to the village of Manych in the Rostov region, and at the cost of their lives kept the line of defense in battles with tank units of the Wehrmacht.

“There is a five-kilometer race running throughout the republic today. In addition to members of the Armed Forces, pupils, veterans and many others participate. It was difficult for some to escape, but for some it was easy”, - the press service of the Defense Ministry told.

The military said that a nationwide march was held in military institutes, lyceums and parts of the Kyrgyz army in the cities of Bishkek, Tokmok, Osh, Jalal-Abad, Balykchy and the village of Grigorievka, Issyk-Kul region. In total, more than two thousand people, including descendants of soldiers who participated in the Battle of Stalingrad, took part in the commemorative action.

“The Tourism Fund supported this remarkable event. We ran the entire route together with the military as it was supposed. This is a wonderful event, which has a great educational value for the younger generation. My grandfather Abdulhak was drafted into these two divisions, which were formed in the Central Asian military district. He fought and died near Stalingrad, so for me this is a personal event, in which I take part in the memory of my grandfather”, - said vice-president Tourism Development Support Fund of the Kyrgyz Republic Alexander Valitov.

Earlier, President Sadyr Zhaparov delivered an address on the occasion of the next anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade. The Head of State noted that the blockaders demonstrated to the whole world not only courage, steadfastness and heroism, but showed an unprecedented example of honor and strength of the human spirit. Zhaparov recalled that more than 16,000 people were evacuated from the blockaded Leningrad to Kyrgyzstan, including about 3,500 children.

“More than 4,500 of our compatriots have heroically fallen in the battle for the city on the Neva River. Today 12 veterans of the blockade live in Kyrgyzstan. We bow low to all who defended the besieged city with arms, who labored in the ring of fire, who survived the terrible days of the blockade, survived and won. We will always remember the millions of people who gave their lives to save Leningrad, who died from hunger and cold, bombing and shelling. Eternal glory to the heroes - all who, without pity, fought for the freedom of the fatherland, for the peace of the earth and the happiness of future generations”, - said the president.

Sadyr Zhaparov congratulated the veterans on the day of the complete liberation of Leningrad, wished them good health and well-being.