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
