The ceremony of unveiling the memorial, which is located in the capital park on the corner of Koshkarbayev and Zhumabayev streets, was attended by the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev.

"This is not only a monument to the Hero of the Soviet Union Ivan Panfilov. This also pays tribute to all Kazakhstan people who participated in the great battle against fascism, both to those who remained on the battlefields and those who returned home and made an invaluable contribution to the development of our country," President Nursultan Nazarbayev said.

The author of the monument to the Hero of the Soviet Union is sculptor Renat Abenov. The sculpture measuring 2.5 metres high is made of bronze.

Memorial plates to 28 Panfilov soldiers are made of natural granite and placed on the right side of the monument. As it is known, those 28 soldiers died when protected the road approaching Moscow. In addition, 28 steles with the medal "Golden Star of Hero of the Soviet Union" were produced.

Descendants of the hero also took part in the ceremony. "It is an adequate monument. I am sure it is symbolic that the monument is erected here together with the memorial plates to 28 Panfilov soldiers. In addition, it is a very beautiful place. It might be a start for the construction of the same parks of heroes in Kazakhstan. We have so many heroes," Panfilov’s granddaughter A. Baykadamova said.

The 316th Infantry Division commanded by Major General Ivan Panfilov was established in Almaty in summer of 1941. It consisted of soldiers and officers from Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan. In the autumn of that year (18 November 1941), the commander of the Division Ivan Panfilov was killed by the enemy’s mine not far from Moscow. He was only 48 years old.

28 Panfilov Guardsmen were those Kazakhstan soldiers who protected Moscow in the Great Patriotic War. On 16 November 1941 the enemy started the battle near Volokolamsk Highway. The Political Instructor B. Klochkov headed a platoon consisting of 28 men. They were armed with rifles, petrol bombs and grenades. The battle against twenty enemy’s tanks lasted four hours.

As the result, Soviet soldiers defeated fourteen German tanks. But some Panfilov soldiers were killed. Later another thirty tanks joined the fight.

Kazakhstan warriors heroically fought against steel vehicles of the enemy. 23 Panfilov soldiers were killed. However, no one German tank could break their defence.

By the Order of the Presidium of the Supreme Council of the Soviet Union of 21 July 1942, 28 Panfilov Guardsmen received the title of Heroes of the Soviet Union. There is a list of them:

1. Nikolay Ananyev

2. Grigory Bezrodnykh

3. Nikolay Belashev

4. Yakov Bondarenko

5. Illarion Vasilyev

6. Ivan Dobrobabin

7. Peter Dutov

8. Peter Yemtsov

9. Narsutbay (Nursultan) Yesbolatov

10. Dmitry Kaleynikov

11. Vasily Klochkov

12. Abram Kryuchkov

13. Grigory Konkin

14. Aliaskar Kozhabergenov

15. Alikbay Kosayev

16. Nikolay Maximov

17. Gavriil Mitin

18. Nikita Mitchenko

19. Ivan Moskalenko

20. Ivan Natarov

21. Grigory Petrenko

22. Musabek Sengirbayev

23. Dmitry Timofeyev

24. Nikolay Trofimov

25. Ivan Shadrin

26. Ivan Shepetkov

27. Grigory Shemyakin

28. Duyshenkul Shopokov.

There are so many places in the post-Soviet countries where we can see monuments and memorial plates to Ivan Panfilov. There is now another one in Astana.

Zangar Karimkhan