This year we celebrate a significant date - the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, which became the largest and bloodiest in the history of mankind.
For clarity, I will give just a few figures. In the Second World War, of which the Great Patriotic War was a part, 62 of the 74 states that existed at that time took part. According to various estimates, from 55 to 80 million people died during the war, 27 million of whom were the population of the USSR.
In Kazakhstan, there is practically not a single family that was not affected by that hard time. From the first days of the war, the formation of military units and subdivisions began on the territory of the republic. One of the first to be formed was the legendary 316th Guards Panfilov Division. In total, 12 rifle divisions, 4 cavalry divisions, and 7 rifle brigades left for the front from Kazakhstan. Of the 1.2 million soldiers and officers called to the front, every second did not return from the battlefield. More than 270 thousand of our fellow countrymen went missing on the battlefield.
Kazakhstan also became a reliable rear, playing an important role in supplying military units with weapons, ammunition, industrial goods and food, 9 out of 10 bullets were cast from Kazakhstani lead. More than 60 thousand people were mobilized into the labor army. Thus, every fourth resident of the republic was called to the front and the defence industry.
Today, the worthy successors of the military valour of our heroic ancestors are the soldiers of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, who reliably protect peace and tranquillity on our land. A clear demonstration of the continuity of military traditions was the military parade held in the capital on May 7. Our sacred duty is to always remember the lessons of that terrible war, not to forget the price that had to be paid for peace, and to pass on the memory of the unparalleled feat of those who gave us a peaceful sky above our heads.
Let peace, happiness and prosperity reign in our homes, let every day be filled with joy, and our hearts - with pride for our country and its defenders!
Sincerely,
Director of the
Presidential Center
of the Republic of Kazakhstan
B. Temirbolat
