INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Kazakhstan held a grand military parade to mark the 80th anniversary of the Allied success in World War II and Defenders of the Fatherland
Day.The Great Patriotic War was an incredibly hard difficulty for all of mankind, including Kazakhstan
Those powerful days showed that war brings just grief and loss, while peace is an indispensable treasure, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev
saidWednesday, addressing thousands of parade participants.In our country, the Batyrlara tazym [Homage to Heroes in Kazakh] march will
happen, devoted to Kazakhstani frontline soldiers
Descendants of the individuals of the bloodiest war in human history will carry their portraits through the streets, he continued.Like other
Central Asian neighbors that fought in World War II as part of the Soviet Union, Kazakhstan formally marks Victory Day on May 9
But this years anniversary parade took place ahead of time to accommodate Tokayevs prepared participation at Fridays landmark celebrations
in Moscow.Tokayev has actually been participating in Victory Day celebrations on Red Square frequently given that 2022, just like other
This is a question of utmost value [to him], stated Temur Umarov, an analyst at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.Leaders of
Central Asian countries comprehend that Victory Day is a vacation essential to Putins worldview, and refusing an invite would be considered
an individual insult, Umarov added.Its just one example of the long shadow cast by Russia over Victory Day celebrations in this Central
Asian country.Spectators at the Victory Day military parade in Astana, Kazakhstan marking the 80th anniversary of the triumph over Nazi
Andrei Gryaznov/ TASSThe decision to hold a military parade out of line with the vacation relatively created far fewer questions from the
general public in Kazakhstan than the Batyrlara tazym march, which is indicated to work as the analogue of the Russia-propagated Immortal
Regiment.Born out of a grassroots motion, the Immortal Regiment was initially held in the Siberian city of Tomsk in 2012
It was quickly co-opted by the Russian authorities and became a global event.Originally, the procession was implied to permit descendants of
deceased veterans to get in touch with their household history by symbolically marching on behalf of their loved ones
Criticsnote that the Kremlins overtaking of the event turned it into a beneficial propaganda tool that pumps up Russias role in defending
Nazi Germany and enhances narratives of royal revanchism.A separate point of contention is the widespread use of the orange-and-black
George ribbons at Immortal Regiment occasions worldwide.Popularized by Russia as a sign of triumph in World War II, the ribbon was
extensively utilized as a sign of pro-Russian sentiment in Ukraine given that the early phases of the conflict in 2014 and now appears on
signs backing the Kremlins full-blown invasion.In Central Asia and the Caucasus, the ribbon was associated with Russias colonial growth far
before the intrusion of Ukraine, having been utilized to decorate Imperial Russian soldiers for military accomplishments in their wars of
conquest.This year, the majority of regional authorities in Kazakhstan have banned Immortal Regiment processions, mentioning the lack of
free public spaces, or moved the event online.The news of the ban stimulated an avalanche of deepfake videos in which public authorities and
popular reporters call on people to sign up with the processions in defiance of the official restriction and the risk of arrest.It appears
like Russian propaganda is entirely desperate because no one wants to concern their celebration, stated prominent journalist Asem
Zhapisheva, who was featured in one of the AI-generated videos.Just in case: May 9 is not a holiday for me, but a day of remembrance
And yes, I have people in my family who died in World War II 4 of them
I didnt invite anyone to a celebration of striped ribbon fans not that excellent of an occasion, she added in a Telegram post.Authorities in
Almaty, Kazakhstans biggest city, ultimately approved the rally under the name Batyrlara tazym following a push from local veteran
groups.The city of Semey in northeast Kazakhstan will also hold a comparable event.Kazakh activist Zharkyn Kurentaev thinks that the
authorities eventual choice to hold an analogue of the Immortal Regiment might be analyzed as a signal to Moscow
It is possible that the authorities chose to hold [the rally] in action to the actions that preceded it
And this, I remind you, was Lavrovs criticism of Tokayev and Putins call, Kurentaev told United States -funded broadcaster Current Time
It was very important from a diplomatic point of view.A Victory Day military parade in Astana.akorda.kzAnalyst Umarov thinks the
relationship with Russia was not exactly central to the decision.Russia, naturally, views any attempts by Central Asian states to reevaluate
shared vacations and shared values as an effort to distance themselves from Russia or even turn their back on it, Umarov informed The Moscow
Times.But Central Asia is not trying to signify anything to Moscow [by allowing or banning Immortal Regiment processions] This is more a
question of domestic politics and social stability, Umarov included, describing surrounding Kyrgyzstan, where the Immortal Regiment will
accompany officials backing.The tries to reimagine World War II celebrations in Kazakhstan go hand in hand with Russias invasion of Ukraine
That year, the authorities initially created the idea to relabel the Immortal Regiment rally and use a blue ribbon with Kazakh ornaments as
the events official symbol
Georges ribbon was still frequently found at that years event.Bota Sharipzhan, an activist with the Oyan, Qazaqstan! civil rights movement,
believes that just a little group of people in Kazakhstan have actually started to view May 9 events in a different way considering that the
full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Most still see the Great Patriotic War and the war in Ukraine as ideologically various disputes
For many, its not apparent that Russian fascism works together with pobedobesie [victory-mania], Sharipzhan informed The Moscow Times
I understand people who are against the war in Ukraine however still head out on May 9 carrying their grandfathers portrait.Around 178,000
locals of Kazakhstan were serving in the ranks of the Red Army at the start of World War II, with an additional 1.2 million drafted to
eliminate as the conflict progressed
More than 600,000 drafties or 11.2% of Kazakhstans population at the time died in the war.Sharipzhan notes that world-famous Russian World
War II-era tunes like Smuglyanka and Katyusha, films about the war, and stories of Kazakh heroes like Bauyrzhan Momyshuly, Aliya Moldagulova
and Manshuk Mametova were foundational to the childhood of numerous generations of Kazakhs.I still cant envision how exactly we might change
May 9 from a celebration to a day of grieving in Kazakhstan, said Sharipzhan.If May 9 is to be observed at all, it must lack parades:
decently laying flowers at the Eternal Flame, sharing stories about loved ones who combated in the war on social networks and discussing how
disastrous World War II was for us, she stated
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