In St. Petersburg, a monument is currently being erected in her honor, timed to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Great Victory.
In this material, a Turmush correspondent will tell how Toktogon Altybasarova met her husband, Musa Abdieva.
In May 2009, a correspondent visited the home of Musa Ata and Toktogon Apa with the akim of the Tyup district, S. Kerimkulov, to congratulate them on Victory Day. During the visit, while gifts were being presented, Musa Ata remained silent, while Toktogon Apa, possessing a "Russian temperament," was cheerful and talkative. She suggested raising a "general's toast" and treated everyone to drinks, while Musa Ata just smiled.
When the correspondent asked Toktogon how she met her future husband, she shared her story:
“I worked as a secretary in the village council during the day, and in the evenings I took care of the orphans evacuated from Leningrad. I looked after their sleep and nutrition, and then knitted warm clothes for the soldiers at the front. Together with other women, we sent knitted socks and gloves with a note: ‘Return from the front with victory.’ One day, while at work, I received a letter from a soldier. He thanked me for the warm clothes and mentioned that if he returned alive, he would marry me. This was Red Army soldier Musa Abdieva. I put the letter in a safe and forgot about it. At the end of 1943, a limping soldier came to us, who looked at me for a long time. He periodically came to see me, but I had no time for dates. Then, when we received a telegram marked ‘Top Secret,’ we were the first to read it in the village council. On May 9, 1945, when we were celebrating victory, that soldier appeared among the joyful people. We hugged and kissed, and he whispered to me, ‘When will you reply to my letter?’ In the evening, as I was going to the children, I was unexpectedly lifted up and placed in a carriage. That’s how I married Musa. We spent one night at his house, and for the next 10 years lived next to the children from Leningrad. He was a true family man, and that letter forever linked our fates.”
Turmush — On February 20, 2024, President Sadyr Japarov signed a decree posthumously awarding Toktogon Altybasarova.
The decree states: “In honor of the 80th anniversary of the complete liberation of Leningrad from the fascist blockade and for her significant contribution to the upbringing of children evacuated from the besieged city to Kyrgyzstan, confer upon Toktogon Altybasarova the title of ‘Hero of Labor’ of the Kyrgyz Republic with the awarding of the special badge ‘Hero of Labor’ (posthumously).” Altybasarova Toktogon
