Soviet Soldiers Honored in Switzerland

Basel, May 9, 2025 – In honor of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Switzerland, Kairat Sarzhanov, and the staff of the Embassy took part in a wreath-laying ceremony at the memorial to Soviet soldiers at the “Hörnli” cemetery in Basel, near the German border.

The monument, erected in 1966 and renovated in 2008, commemorates 23 Soviet soldiers and prisoners of war who died in Switzerland during World War II and remains the only memorial in the country dedicated to their heroic deeds.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the diplomatic corps of the CIS countries, citizens of those nations, as well as residents of Basel.

As part of the initiatives marking the 80th anniversary of Victory, the Embassy of Kazakhstan in Switzerland previously organized an online exhibition based on unique photographic materials provided by the Central State Archive of Film, Photo Documents, and Sound Recordings of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The exhibition introduced the Swiss audience to the scale of Kazakhstan's involvement in the Great Patriotic War.