By Maria Zhigadlo
During the World War II (Great Patriotic War), Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan played a crucial role in supplying the Soviet Union with oil, food, and manpower, making an undeniable contribution to the victory over Nazi Germany. However, despite the significance of these efforts, many aspects of the wartime legacy of these republics remain understudied or overshadowed by broader Soviet military history.
In an exclusive interview with The Caspian Post, historian and professor at Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Laila Akhmetova, shares her insights on the role of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan in the war, the challenges of historical research, and the importance of recognizing the contributions of these nations. She also discusses her extensive archival work, the painstaking process of restoring the fates of missing soldiers, and the evolving concept of patriotism in modern society.
Through years of meticulous research, Professor Akhmetova has uncovered hundreds of forgotten names of Kazakh and Azerbaijani soldiers who fought on the frontlines, including those who defended the Brest Fortress and served in the legendary Panfilov Division. She speaks candidly about the complexities of wartime records, the importance of objective historical research, and the need for state-supported initiatives to preserve this history for future generations.
Her work not only sheds light on the past but also raises important questions about how patriotism should be instilled in younger generations today-ensuring that it remains meaningful, deeply rooted in historical truth, and free from political manipulation.
- You have dedicated years to researching the history of Kazakhstan, particularly the World War II (the Great Patriotic War). What has been your most unexpected or emotionally significant discovery during this time?
- The entire Great Patriotic War is painted in vivid yet tragic colors. It is a war filled with heroism and pain: those missing in action, left on the battlefield, those who died for their homeland, and those who returned as invalids or with severe psychological trauma.
That is why, when working on this subject, I mostly work at night. Sometimes, I lose sleep, sometimes I cry, and sometimes I write with tears in my eyes. One of the most emotional discoveries happened in 2012-I had been searching for a particular hero for 49 years. On average, my searches take about five years, but in this case, it took nearly half a century to find evidence, reconstruct events, and locate the hero’s descendants. It was an enormous effort, but once completed, I felt both joy and deep satisfaction: the person was no longer listed as missing in action but officially recognized as having died for the Motherland. This holds great significance, not only for history but also for the hero’s family.
Since mid-January of this year, I have been actively giving lectures. I prepared a presentation in a very short time-literally overnight-since I had already gathered all the necessary materials. Unlike traditional presentations, mine was not composed of images but of text. I titled it “The First”, referring to Kazakhstan and its heroes. Among them were two Kazakh women who were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. One was just 18 years old, the other 21. My presentation also included those who were the first to perform heroic acts or repeat the feats of Matrosov and Talalikhin. One such hero was Rakhimzhan Koshkarbayev, who raised the Victory Banner over the Reichstag on April 30, 1945. There were many such firsts, and I had enough material to tell the stories of numerous heroes.
Another topic that holds immense significance for me is the role of women in war-their hardships, their bravery, their heroism. I approach this subject with the utmost care and respect.
Photo: War History Online
- Your book "1941. Brest Fortress. Kazakhstan" helped restore the names of hundreds of Kazakh soldiers who fought in the Brest Fortress. How was it received by the public, and are you still continuing this work today?
- The work on my book Brest Fortress. Kazakhstan took me 48 years-I started collecting information at the age of 14 and finally presented the book in 2016. The book was first launched in Almaty, then in the capital, Astana. After that, I traveled to Minsk, Brest itself, and then to various cities and regions of Kazakhstan where I had found the largest number of Brest Fortress defenders-Semey (Semipalatinsk), Ust-Kamenogorsk, Taraz, Taldykorgan. The only city I was unable to visit was Petropavlovsk, due to various reasons.
The presentations were mainly held in regional libraries, as well as in the National Library of Belarus. In Moscow, I presented the book at the Russian State University for the Humanities, with the university's rector serving as the moderator. In every city, I donated books to libraries, museums, archives, military units, defense departments, and, of course, the relatives of the discovered heroes.
Interestingly, after the first presentation in Almaty, the book gained significant attention, especially in Russia and Belarus. Journalists actively covered the event, conducted interviews, and searched for additional information online. However, unfortunately, some journalists did not verify details with me before publishing, leading to inaccuracies. For instance, some Brest defenders were mistakenly listed as participants in other battles, and vice versa.
This sparked widespread discussions among historical researchers in Russia and Belarus. On social media, people questioned, "Who is she?"-even though my name and research were easily accessible online. Some critics did not even bother to check the facts before questioning my work.
I usually avoid social media debates, but in this case, I had to intervene. I explained that any historian or researcher must understand the entire history of a topic, not just fragments of it. The Brest Fortress is not only about its heroic defenders but also about the battles around Brest and the involvement of soldiers from different Soviet republics.
By 2016, after extensive research for my book, I had identified 566 Kazakh soldiers who fought in the Brest Fortress. This was a painstaking process involving correspondence, regional visits, document searches, and family archives. Some veterans were still alive when I found them, and I managed to interview them-something I take great pride in.
As of February 15, 2025, the number of identified Kazakh defenders of the Brest Fortress has risen to 701. However, this does not mean I simply added new names. In the process of verifying information, some soldiers turned out to have fought in the battles for the city of Brest itself rather than the fortress. For example, a soldier who was initially believed to have served in the 2nd Company and been stationed in the fortress was later found to have been in the 3rd Company, which was away on training exercises at the time the war began. Such cases require meticulous verification.
This work is painstaking and demands an incredible level of precision and patience. I have to track down sources, compare data, consult archives, and communicate with relatives. Sometimes, a search takes five years; sometimes, it takes decades. As I mentioned earlier, my longest search took 49 years.
In December 2024, I visited the Brest Fortress for the eleventh time. Yet, even after all these visits, I have only begun to lift the veil on many unknown stories. Mountains of archival documents still await examination. Every hero I uncover is another step toward restoring historical justice and preserving memory.
I work slowly but methodically. Step by step, I bring forgotten names back to history, ensuring that their descendants know their legacy. And when I finally succeed in identifying someone, it is an enormous victory.
Photo: Pyotr Krivonogov. Defenders of the Brest Fortress
- You have identified 701 Kazakh defenders of the Brest Fortress. How did this research process unfold, and which soldiers' stories left the deepest impression on you?
- What I have discovered and documented in my books is the result of many years of research. I have already written three books about Kazakh soldiers who fought in the Brest Fortress, and I take great pride in having restored the fates of many of them. One story that holds special significance for me is that of Matkali Daurembayev, about whom I wrote a separate book in 2022.
In my 2016 book, 1941. Brest Fortress. Kazakhstan, his name appeared in just a few lines within a list of 556 soldiers. However, I later found 45 of his articles published in the army press, which allowed me to write a textbook titled Military Journalism 1940-June 22, 1941: Based on the Publications of War Correspondent M. Daurembayev.
The term war correspondent is often misunderstood. Some believe it applies only to officially designated military journalists, while others use it for anyone who wrote about the war. I try to adhere to the terminology of the time. For instance, when discussing the 20th century, I use historical names for regions, even if they have since been renamed. Administrative borders have changed over time, and using modern names can create confusion. That is why I say Alma-Ata and Taldy-Kurgan regions, as they were called in those years.
Matkali Daurembayev’s story is remarkable. A highly educated man and a school director, he was drafted as a regular soldier. He left behind a wife and two young sons. Within a year of service, he was promoted to sergeant, then to senior sergeant, and he joined the Communist Party. He was fluent in both Kazakh and Russian, and he could write in Arabic script, Cyrillic, and Latin. For a soldier of that time, such a level of education was exceptionally rare.
It is likely that his superiors assigned him to take notes, which led to his writing for a divisional newspaper and later for an army-wide publication. I managed to find 45 of his articles in the military newspaper Sentinel of the Motherland, but unfortunately, none of the issues from the divisional press, where he began, have survived.
Through his writings, I was able to reconstruct the stories of nearly a hundred soldiers-not only Kazakhs but also other members of his 333rd Rifle Regiment. Daurembayev himself went missing in action on June 22, 1941. I consider him a war correspondent. During the Soviet era, there were terms like young correspondent, rural correspondent, and worker correspondent. A war correspondent was simply a correspondent serving in the military-just like Daurembayev, who documented the daily life of his unit.
I consider him the first pre-war Kazakh war correspondent writing in Russian. His legacy connects three countries-Belarus, Russia, and Kazakhstan-making him a crucial historical figure. I am still searching for more of his articles in old newspapers. So far, I have been unsuccessful, but I haven’t lost hope.
Another deeply significant story is that of Akhmetov, a defender of the Brest Fortress. He left an inscription on a brick wall: "I am dying. Akhmet." In 1963, one of the surviving fortress defenders discovered this brick. I searched for his story for 49 years and, in 2012, held a press conference at the Central State Museum of Kazakhstan, attended by the descendants of Brest Fortress defenders from Almaty, Almaty Region, Zhambyl Region, and South Kazakhstan Region.
The museum had an entire hall dedicated to the Great Patriotic War, and its exhibit began with that very brick from the Brest Fortress. Researching Akhmetov’s fate was an incredibly complex task, but in the end, I managed to find his relatives. He was a highly educated man with a background in pedagogy, a mathematics teacher. The notes he left behind, preserved by his family, are striking in their eloquence and depth. He was a truly educated and remarkable individual.
Another astonishing story is that of Abdrazak Mamiev. I spent five years searching for documents about him. It was a long and challenging journey, but well worth it. He was a sniper who saved his commander in battle and participated in the defense of the Brest Fortress. When German forces began surrounding the fortress, he and a group of comrades managed to break out. However, they were captured and sent to a prison camp in Biała Podlaska, just 20 kilometers from Brest in Poland.
While working outside the camp, the prisoners were liberated by Polish partisans. They all joined the resistance, and later, Mamiev rejoined the Red Army. Toward the end of the war, he suffered a severe injury and had to have his leg amputated. He returned to his home village as an invalid, but like many former prisoners of war, he lived under suspicion for the rest of his life. In those years, being a POW was seen as a stain on one’s record.
Mamiev’s fate is extraordinary: he experienced every stage of the war-he defended the Brest Fortress, was captured by the Germans, survived a concentration camp, was freed by partisans, fought in the resistance, rejoined the Red Army, was wounded, and finally returned home as a disabled veteran. His story embodies the resilience, bravery, and tragedy of a soldier of that time.
I continue to study archives, search for new documents, and reconstruct the lives of these heroes. Sometimes, this process takes decades. Each hero I uncover is not just a name on a list but a life, a family, a memory. That is why I cannot allow myself to make rushed conclusions or publish unverified information. This work demands meticulous research, patience, and deep respect for history.
That is what makes my research so important to me.
The Memorial of Glory in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Photo: Wikipedia
-You have worked on books about patriotic education. How can patriotism be instilled in young people today in a way that is neither superficial nor forced?
-This is a very complex question-what should patriotism look like today, and how does the younger generation perceive it? The problem is that we are still holding on to an outdated understanding of patriotism. Soviet, socialist patriotism is fundamentally different from the kind that can exist in a capitalist society. Today, we are building capitalism, yet we expect to maintain Soviet-style patriotism. That is simply not possible. Therefore, we must develop an entirely new approach to fostering patriotic consciousness.
We already know that if, God forbid, a war breaks out, it will not be the same as it was during the Great Patriotic War. However, recent events in both your country and mine have shown that modern patriotism must take a different form. This does not mean abolishing or rejecting it-patriotism remains in the soul of every individual as love for their homeland. But if a society is deeply divided by social inequality, where oligarchs exist alongside impoverished citizens, it is obvious that the children of the wealthy will not serve in the army or go to war.
Patriotism must be built on a different foundation. A soldier who goes to serve, who risks his life in conflict zones, must be certain that if something happens to him-whether he dies or becomes disabled-his family will be provided for. It does not matter if his family consists of a wife and children or elderly parents; the state must take responsibility for their well-being. A wounded veteran must have the opportunity to fulfill his potential, receive a decent pension, and the families of fallen soldiers must be given substantial support. At present, this issue remains unresolved, which is a major problem.
When it comes to educating young people, it is crucial to instill patriotism through examples of heroic deeds. It is important to talk not only about the acts of bravery from the 19th and 20th centuries but also about earlier periods of history. The Great Patriotic War and World War II are not that distant-they are still part of our living memory. For me, it is the story of my father; for others, it is the story of their grandfathers. This is a personal connection, and it is through such examples that patriotic education should be built.
Patriotism must be cultivated from childhood-in schools and universities. Young people should understand that defending their homeland is not just a duty, but an honor. And this applies not only to men but to women as well. Even today, research continues on human resources-tracking down missing and fallen soldiers. I take pride in the fact that I have managed to move several thousand soldiers and commanders from the category of missing in action to fallen for the Motherland.
When people ask about the significance of my work, implying that it is either underestimated or exaggerated, I feel that we still do not fully grasp the scale of historical research. We have been independent states for over 30 years now, yet what is stopping us from conducting serious studies? I was engaged in this work during the Soviet era, I continue to do so now, and for me, it is not just a job-it is my calling, my passion, my life.
Modern youth are far more pragmatic, and I understand that. They need to build their futures, provide for their families. This is why the state must pay special attention to developing historical research and uncovering forgotten heroes. For example, Chechen researchers have been doing remarkable work in this field. They have almost entirely traced the fates of soldiers and commanders conscripted from the Chechen-Ingush ASSR. Many of the documents I find in the Brest Fortress archives have already been thoroughly examined when it comes to Chechen soldiers, whereas data on other regions remain incomplete.
This demonstrates that such work must be conducted at the state level. In the past, archives were closed, but today, most documents are accessible. Of course, research requires funding-travel expenses, studying materials in Podolsk, St. Petersburg, and Brest-but this kind of work cannot be done alone. It should be carried out by entire research teams and supported by a comprehensive state program. At the same time, it is crucial not to exaggerate or downplay the significance of historical events, but rather to study them objectively.
Monument to Major General of Tank Troops Hazi Aslanov, who was twice awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, in Baku. Photo: Trend news agency
-In historical research, the close cooperation between Kazakh and Azerbaijani soldiers on the frontlines is often mentioned. Are you aware of specific examples of combat brotherhood or joint acts of heroism by soldiers from these republics?
-When it comes to the interaction between soldiers on the battlefield, it is difficult to say how often examples of combat brotherhood are explicitly mentioned. Naturally, soldiers who served together in the same platoon, company, or battalion formed strong bonds, especially before battles or in situations where they knew they were facing certain death. These are deeply personal moments that are often hard to capture in words.
I have come across mentions of Azerbaijani soldiers and commanders in the Brest Fortress archives, including references to their connections with Kazakh soldiers. Azerbaijani names also appear in records related to the Panfilov Division, which included soldiers of various nationalities.
However, at this moment, I cannot cite specific examples of combat brotherhood. The reason is simple: after bringing copies of archival documents back home, I do not always have enough time to process all the data immediately. This means that while I am certain that my records contain answers to these questions, I have not yet had the opportunity to extract and verify them systematically.
For instance, in my research on the Panfilov Division, I currently have about 4,000 names of soldiers and commanders that still need to be fully analyzed and cross-referenced with both open and classified archival materials. This takes time.
As I have mentioned before, on average, it takes me about five years to trace the fate of a single Brest Fortress soldier and about a year to research the soldiers of the Panfilov Division. When I have the necessary time, I hope to write a detailed article on this topic, using the documents in my possession. The information is there-it just needs to be carefully processed.
