Memory Endures for All: No One Is Ever Forgotten
In the heart of the Urals, the echoes of a sacred vow resonate: "Никто не забыт, ничто не забыто." This pledge is a testament to the generation that fought valiantly, securing Victory in the Great Patriotic War. However, the passage of time eventually erodes even the most indelible memories. This was the fate of Private Maksut Koskharbaevich Karimov, a soldier who served selflessly, his deeds ultimately lost in the sands of archival oblivion for decades.
Born in 1892, in the Taiypak district of the Ural region (now part of the West Kazakhstan region's Akzhaiyk district), Maksut was conscripted at the age of 50, in January 1942, by the Priural military commissariat. He found himself on the front lines of the Volkhov Front, commanded by General-Major I. Fedüyninskii, a battlefield crucial to the struggle for Leningrad. Amid the impassable swamps and harsh frosts, Maksut played a crucial role. He built bridges, ensured military equipment movement, and discharged his duties with honor, even under constant threat and shelling.
Maksut's son, labor veteran Khamilulla Karimov, remembers his father's determination: "Despite the harsh conditions, the cold, injuries, and shortages, my father fulfilled his duty with honor." His service extended beyond the Leningrad Front, as he fought in the battles to liberate Leningrad, Pskov, Novgorod, Spasskaya Luba, and later in the liberation of Estonia and Latvia under the command of General I. Maslennikov. His sacrifices were numerous, and he bore the brunt of several injuries, for which he recovered in hospitals. Despite his own wounds, Maksut continued to help wounded comrades by bandaging them, carrying water, and boosting their morale.
Maksut's Red Army booklet contains a note of gratitude from the army command for his exemplary task completion. According to documents from the Russian Ministry of Defense archives, he served in the 135th separate bridge-building battalion, participated in the Battle of Stalingrad, and was awarded medals: "For the Battle of Stalingrad", "For Victory over Germany", and "For Courage." He was a soldier who built bridges under fire, bearing the weight of war, and returned home with a sense of duty fulfilled.
After the Victory, Maksut returned to his village of Makarovo and worked as a livestock farmer in the "Red October" collective farm. He married, raised five children, all of whom received higher education. However, when the country celebrated the 20th anniversary of Victory, Maksut's name was absent from the lists of veterans receiving thanks, certificates, and medals. The reason lies in the loss of his personal file in the archives of the Priuralnyi RVK. Despite his preserved Red Army booklet and frontline medals, he was never officially recognized as a veteran. His unacknowledged service took a toll on his health, and he passed away in 1973 without seeing justice.
Years later, in 2015, Maksut's son, with the support of the defense department of the West Kazakhstan region, requested his military documents from the Russian MoD archives. This step marked a crucial moment in restoring his father's good name. Now, his son is working to restore Maksut's memory. The Karimov family expresses gratitude to everyone who participated in this difficult task, including the defense department staff, local historians, journalists, museums, and caring people who help preserve the memory of humble heroes like Maksut Koskharbaevich.
He is not forgotten—his children, grandchildren, and fellow villagers remember him. His feat is part of the Great General Victory. Despite the passage of over 80 years, truth and memory have finally found their place. Without the past, there is no present, no future. We must remember, not for the dead, but for the living.
Aida GALIEVA, Uralsk.
- In the annals of war-and-conflicts, the story of Private Maksut Koskharbaevich Karimov, a soldier who served selflessly during the Great Patriotic War, is a poignant tale of politics and general news that has only recently come to light.
- Despite the erosion of time, Maksut's sacrifices and roles in crucial battles, including the Leningrad Front and the Battle of Stalingrad, have emerged from the sands of archival oblivion, testifying to the resilience of truth and memory in the face of politics and bureaucracy.
