Identification of new graves of Kazakh soldiers who fell for the liberation of France

VALLEROY, May 19, 2021 - As part of the visit of the Ambassador of Kazakhstan, Jean GALIYEV, to the Grand Est region, a commemoration ceremony took place with the laying of wreaths and the planting of a tree from the peace at the Stele memorial in the small town of Valleroy (department of Meurthe et Moselle) in homage to the Soviet soldiers who fell during the liberation of France from the Nazi invaders.

Christian LAMORLETTE, mayor of the municipality of Valleroy, Marie-LAURE KELLNER, president of the Committee of the Stele, Frédéric CARRE, sub-prefect of Briey, the Consul General of Kazakhstan in Strasbourg Anuarbek AKHMETOV, the Consul General of Russia in Strasbourg Yury SOLOVYOV, and representatives of veterans organizations in the region participated in this event.

French politicians expressed their sincere gratitude to the Soviet soldiers who gave their lives to free France from the fascist invaders. In turn, the Ambassador of Kazakhstan thanked the authorities of the municipality for the careful preservation of the place of memory and mourning for the dead.

The Memorial of the military necropolis of Valleroy was created exactly 50 years ago, on May 20, 1971. The ashes of 54 Red Army soldiers, among whom are Kazakh soldiers, are buried here.

In 2018, Professor Gulnara MENDIKULOVA, with the help of the Embassy of Kazakhstan in France, discovered four graves of Kazakh soldiers in the Valleroy cemetery. It has been established that Zeinulla ALIMGAZIEV, Konyspek ZHAKIYANOV, Mysakhan (Nishan) TURGAMBAYEV and Isin (Yesen) DJUMAGULOV are buried there.

Thanks to the efforts of the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in Strasbourg, two other graves of Kazakhs have been identified in the same cemetery: CHEGLOV Nikolay Mikhailovich, born on 12.13.1920. - from the Eastern region of Kazakhstan, in the village of Barashki, and KOSOBOKOV Alexander Ivanovich, born 03.02.1921. - native of Oktyabrsky district of North Kazakhstan region.

On this occasion, we ask the Kazakhs and representatives of the media to help find the relatives of the deceased heroes. For any questions, please contact the Consulate General of Kazakhstan in Strasbourg by phone at +33388697513 or by email at Strasbourg@mfa.kz.