Kyrgyzstan Hosts the Memory Watch "We Are Millions of Panfilovites"
The international Vigil of Memory 'We Are Millions of Panfilovites' started on October 24, 2015, in Orenburg. After passing through several cities in Russia, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, the event will conclude on December 11, 2016, in Moscow. The goal of this event is to preserve the common historical memory of the feat of the Soviet people, of the spirit of multinational brotherhood and mutual assistance, which made it possible to defeat a strong, organized, well-trained, and treacherous enemy.
- The feat of our peoples during the Great Patriotic War is not forgotten, - noted the Russian ambassador in the Kyrgyz Republic, Andrey Krutko. - The memory of tens of millions of people who laid down their lives on the altar of Victory is alive. The feat of one hundred thousand Kyrgyzstanis who did not return home in 1945, but went to the front, as you know, more than 370 thousand people, is not forgotten. 150 thousand people from Kyrgyzstan were awarded state honors of the Soviet Union, 74 received the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and 21 warriors became full cavaliers of the Order of Glory.
According to the Russian ambassador, speculations that the feat of the Panfilovites did not happen are not based on real historical archival data. He also reported that archival data and documents will be digitized.
- I hope that during this work we will find documentary evidence that the feat indeed took place, and no one will be able to question it, - said Krutko.
The organizer of the Vigil of Memory 'We Are Millions of Panfilovites' in Kyrgyzstan is the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Kyrgyz Republic. The rector of the Academy, Almaz Nasirov, spoke about the planned events to commemorate the heroes.
- A large youth forum 'Vigil of Memory' is tentatively scheduled for late March - early April, involving several higher educational institutions of Kyrgyzstan, where the topic of those events will be fully covered, - Nasirov reported. – A series of round tables, readings, and scientific-practical conferences will also be held. A cycle of public lectures, publications, including in the media, and cultural events involving youth is planned. After the Vigil of Memory, we plan to hold a large forum of the scientific intelligentsia dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the battle near Moscow and the feat of the Panfilovites.
The rector of the Academy emphasized that these events should be systematic and not conducted as a one-time action.
- The Vigil of Memory will be a good opportunity to pass on history to the younger generation of Kyrgyzstan, to tell them about our heroes. Many representatives of our youth do not even know the history of the Young Guard Boulevard in Bishkek and cannot answer the question of who Duyshenkul Shopokov is. The modern generation has completely different values. Heroism and patriotism today are not as significant as the themes of material achievement, leadership, etc., - noted Nasirov. - We very much hope that as a result of this event, a number of scientific studies, public lectures, round tables, and expert discussions will be initiated, the main goal of which will be to immortalize the memory, foster loyalty and love for the homeland based on the experience of tragedy, and revive those fundamental human values that are in great deficit in the modern world.
