A Memorial to Kazakhstani Soldier Unveiled in Norway

Nordland, May 8, 2025 – А solemn ceremony was held in the municipality of Vestvågøy in the Lofoten Islands, Northern Norway, to unveil a memorial honoring three Soviet soldiers who perished here during an escape attempt from a Nazi camp in the village of Ostad in March 1945. One of these soldiers was Ivan Povoroznyuk, a native of the Kostanay region in Kazakhstan.

The memorial was established on the initiative of a group led by local resident Per-Kaare Holdal, with the active support of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Norway.

The opening ceremony was attended by local government officials, members of the public, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Norway Adil Tursunov, as well as a relative of the fallen Kazakhstani soldier – Larissa Kushnaryova.

This event became yet another testament to the enduring friendship between the peoples of two countries.

Ivan Povoroznyuk was born in 1921 in the village of Aleshinka, Vvedensky district, Kostanay region. He was drafted into the army in April 1941 and had been listed as missing in action since March 1942. Only decades later, through the efforts of Norwegian researchers and the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Norway, his fate and the place of his death were finally established.

During World War II, more than 15,000 Soviet prisoners of war perished in concentration camps on the territory of occupied Norway. In recent years, the Embassy of Kazakhstan has identified the names of 74 Kazakhstani soldiers who were buried in Norway between 1941 and 1945.