Obelisk of Glory – Aktobe – Kazakhstan

Posted on 21/08/2025 by Michael

Obelisk of Glory – Aktobe – 01

Obelisk of Glory – Aktobe – Kazakhstan

Of all the post-Soviet countries in Western Asia Kazakhstan appears to be the one that still maintains a real connection to the Soviet past. This is reflected in the maintenance – and even existence – of those public statues and monuments that celebrated and commemorated Soviet achievements. Statues of VI Lenin might have been removed from certain locations but other monuments that remain are still treated with an element of respect. This respect reaches its peak, if you like, when it comes to commemoration of the Great Patriotic War.

One such monument is the Obelisk of Glory in Aktobe. This was inaugurated in August 1970 in honour of the people from the region who died for their homeland during the Great Patriotic War (what the ‘West’ calls the Second World War). The monument is now located in the central part of the new city of Aktobe on Aliya Moldagulova Avenue.

Obelisk of Glory – Aktobe – original location

However, this is not its original location. It once stood in front of the House of the Soviets on Oktyabrsky Boulevard (now renamed Abai Avenue) but was moved to its present location in 1984 when a statue of VI Lenin (since removed) was erected on its site.

Major changes were made to the monument – not to the principal column but the surrounds – in its present location but I’m not exactly sure when. From the information I’ve been able to gather it was more likely in 2015 in preparation for the celebration of the 70th anniversary of the victory over fascism. Something like 160 tons of granite, from the Kurdai deposit in the Almaty region, were brought to Aktobe to construct the wall and the curbs in the area you can see now.

The principal element of the monument is a tall, 18 metre, obelisk into which is incorporated an image of a Red Armyman. He is depicted wearing an overcoat that was more appropriate to the Civil War/War Intervention in the immediate years following the October Revolution as many of important battles against foreign supported reaction took place in western Asia. On a monument that is ostensibly to commemorate the war of 1941 to 1945 the inclusion of an anachronistic element such as the overcoat could be to draw a parallel between the two conflicts – both of which were existential to the Soviet Union.

He wears a Budenovka hat with the clear outline of a star and his right hand is raised high above his head in which he holds a sword; his left hand is clenched into a fist. (This is very reminiscent of the soldier on the top of the pillar at the Monument to the Fallen of the NKVD in Stalingrad.) There’s an Eternal Flame burning to the right of the monument. This is unusual as in many locations, were there’s evidence of the presence of an Eternal Flame, the fire has long been allowed to go out. It is reported that the torch for the lighting of this flame came from the Field of Mars in Leningrad – I assume in 1970 when the monument was in its original location.

The architect was T. Dzhanibekov and the sculptor N. Sobolev. However, I’m not sure how much involvement either of them had in the remodelling that took place since its original inauguration.

Obelisk of Glory – Aktobe – 02

The monument is the centre of commemorations annually on May 9th (Victory Day in the Soviet Union and has become more important in recent years in the Russian Federation) and, as in many locations in the post-Soviet Union where the fire still burns at an Eternal Flame, brides and bridegrooms visit the monument on their wedding day.

The modern monument to Aliya Moldagulova is along the same avenue, about a kilometre to the south west, and the museum in her honour is across the road, on the left, just before the memorial complex

Location;

Aliya Moldagulova Avenue/Eset Batyr Street

GPS;

50.293201 N

57.169999 E

DMS;

50°17’35” N

57°10’11” E

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Monument to the Fallen of the NKVD in the Battle for Stalingrad

Posted on 16/08/2025 by Michael

Monument to the Fallen of the NKVD in the Battle for Stalingrad

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Monument to the Fallen of the NKVD in the Battle for Stalingrad

‘It is impossible to overestimate the importance of the NKVD troops during the war. They became an indestructible shield that protected our country. It was with their help that it was possible to stop the retreating army, overcome the demoralized state of a number of army units, protect the country from the invasion of enemy saboteurs and bandits with personal participation, organize a powerful partisan movement behind enemy lines, stop the enemy’s armed forces in the most important strategic directions, such as Moscow, the Caucasus , Stalingrad.’

[Introductory paragraph from ‘Pages of the history of the internal affairs bodies: the feat of the 10th division of the NKVD’

At the southern end of Stalingrad city centre there’s a small park which hosts an impressive monument to those members of the NKVD who fought and died in the Battle of Stalingrad. Even if you don’t know immediately who is commemorated by the monument if you know the name of the square you are given a clue by it’s name. The location of the park is known as Chekist Square – the colloquial name of the security organisation, established soon after the October Revolution in 1917, was the Cheka and even though the official name changed a number of times over the years the ‘nickname’ persisted.

The number of troops involved involved in NKVD formations were obviously many more than would have existed in peace time and these divisions became much more ideological – formed by those Communists who were fighting for much more than the liberation of their country from the Nazi invaders but for the international cause of Socialism. They were sent to some of the fiercest fighting and consequently suffered some of the heaviest losses and played a much more prominent role in various battlefronts than their numbers would suggest. Although the formation of such fighting forces had its positives the negative consequence of this was that after the victory of the Red Army over the fascist invader the forces of committed Communists was weakened – a consequence of which was felt in the Soviet Union after the death of JV Stalin in 1953.

The Monument

The monument consists of a pillar on top of which stands a uniformed soldier with his right arm raised high above his head and in his hand he is holding a sword. In November 1932 JV Stalin sent a message of congratulations to the then OGPU addressing them as ‘the bared sword of the working class’.

There’s a pentagon at the base of the pillar and on the five sides there’s;

a plaque (in Russian)

Чекистам, сотрудникам контрразведки Сталинградского фронта и военной полиции, погибшим при защите города от немецко-фашистских захватчиков с августа 1942 – февраль 1943 года

which translates as;

To the Chekists, to the counter-intelligence officers of the Stalingrad Front and the military police officers who died while defending the city from the Nazi invaders, August 1942 to February 1943;

a large, metal image of the symbol of the NKVD – which has the Hammer and Sickle superimposed on a vertical sword;

a large, metal image of the Medal for the Defence of Stalingrad;

another plaque (in Russian)

В СУРОВЫЙ ЧАС.

КОГДА ВРАГ ЧЕРНОЙ ТУЧЕЙ НАВЕС НАД СТАЛИНГРАДОМ,
МЫ КЛЯНЕМСЯ БЕСПОШАДНО УНИЧТОЖАТЬ НЕНАВИСТНОГО ВРАГА, ГДЕ БЫ ОН НЕ ПОЯВИЛСЯ.

МЫ ОБЕЩАЕМ, ЧТО В ТЯЖЕЛЫЙ МОМЕНТ НЕ ДРОГНЕМ ПЕРЕД ЛИЦОМ СМЕРТЕЛЬНОЙ УГРОЗЫ.

МЫ ПОКАЖЕМ СТОЙКОСТЬ, ВЫСОКУЮ ДИСЦИПЛИНУ, ВЫДЕРЖКУ.

МЫ ПОТОВЫ ЛЕЧЬ КОСТЬМИ, НО НЕ ДОПУСТИТЬ ВРАГА В СТАЛИНГРАД.

КЛЯНЕМСЯ ЧТО БУДЕМ ДОСТОЙНЫМИ СЫНАМИ СВОЕЙ РОДИНЫ!

КЛЯТВА БОЙЦОВ И КОМАНДИРОВ 10-ОЙ СТРеАКоВОЙ ВОйСК НКВА

which translates as;

In the fateful hour, when the enemy loomed over Stalingrad like a black cloud, we will never repent of relentlessly destroying the hated enemy no matter how he appears.

We promise that in difficult moments we will not flinch in the face of a deadly threat.

We will show resilience, high discipline and self control.

We would lay down our lives to prevent the enemy from entering Stalingrad.

We swear we will be worthy sons of our Homeland.

Oath of the soldiers and commanders of the 10th Infantry Division of the NKVD troops

and another emblem of the NKVD but this time with the addition of an honorific, a Star between the Hammer and Sickle and the Sword

The platform upon which all this stands has five sets of steps up to the pentagon. On two sides of the wall that flanks these steps are mirrored images of; three Soviet flags lowered as a sign of respect for the fallen, the Hammer and Sickle over which lies a sheaf of wheat and the corner is formed by a vertical sword, point at the top (similar to that in the hand of the NKVD soldier at the top of the column).

The monument is at the highest point in this small park and slightly away from the main road. There’s seating, much of it in the shade of the trees and appears to be a place where people come to rest from the hustle and bustle of the city and away from the heat in summer.

There’s another monument to the NKVD, this time over a grave of those killed in the battle, next to the statue of VI Lenin, in Lenin Square, just a couple of kilometres to the north of this monument, along the main road in the direction of Mamyev Kurgan.

Further information;

Division of the NKVD in the defense of Stalingrad. The feat of the NKVD division in the battle of Stalingrad. Participation of internal troops in interethnic conflicts

Location;

Chekistov Square and Park, located at the southern end of the Astrakhansky Bridge on the edge of the town centre.

GPS;

78.70155 N

44.50653 E

How to get there;

The Pionerskaya Metro station is on the other side of the Astrakhanskya Bridge. Also many buses pass over this bridge when heading south and west of Stalingrad city centre.

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Socialist Realist Art in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Posted on 15/08/2025 by Michael

The daughter of Soviet Kirghizia – SA Chukov

Socialist Realist Art in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan

Introduction

It’s not just the manner in which public statues and monuments are treated that tells you a lot about a particular post-Soviet, post-Socialist society but how they choose to tell the story of the past in their art galleries. Art galleries were constructed in all towns and cities in Socialist societies, showcasing the work of local and national artists. Although all art from the past tells a political story (although then and now such a connection to politics is denied – ‘art for art’s sake’) in Socialist societies the importance of art (in all its forms) in the construction of Socialism was stated explicitly.

In all the countries that started along the road of the construction of Socialism in the 20th century the vast majority of the people would never have had the opportunity to view any of the art works that had been accumulated by the aristocracy and the wealthy – even in those ‘public’ art galleries that did exist. Even though the Hermitage Museum was open to the ‘public’ in 1852 few workers from the steel mills, sailors from the Imperial Fleet or any peasant who had reason to be in Saint Petersburg pre-1917 would have walked along such ‘hallowed’ corridors.

But as statues and monuments from the early 1990s started to disappear from the streets of those once Socialist countries so did paintings and sculptures (gradually in some places more rapidly in others) from the art galleries. Sometimes cloaked as a normal reorganisation of the collection what happened was that paintings which made an overt reference to leaders from the Socialist past or sculptures of those leaders were removed to be replaced with … what? The problem was that if the curators didn’t want to have bare walls they had to have some of those images from the Socialist period – or the galleries would just have to shut down.

It was ‘easier’ to replace public statues with something new but it also became problematic. Lenin and Stalin were deposed in Tirana to be replaced by the fascist, collaborator and self-proclaimed monarch, Zog – as well as some other ‘monuments’ . In Moscow the statues of Soviet leaders were placed in a museum park across the river from what must be one of the greatest monstrosities to be placed in the open air, that is the huge mess which is the monument to Peter the ‘Great’. In Tbilisi VI Lenin was replaced by a character from mythology, Saint George slaying a dragon. In Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan gaudy statues of feudal lords now ‘adorn’ squares and public spaces once occupied by Soviet leaders.

What all these replacements have in common is a separation from the working class. They bear no relationship to their daily struggles and these images only reaffirm their subservience to the capitalist ruling order.

When it comes to art galleries it’s not too easy to fill the empty places and many locations in post-Socialist societies still display (often the less ‘controversial’) examples from the period on their walls.

Below are details about the galleries and examples of the art on show at three art galleries in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

Regional Art Museum – Atyrau – Kazakhstan

Atyrau Art gallery

This is a small art gallery, of just two storeys, with the collection of Soviet era paintings and sculptures on the first floor. It doesn’t seem to get many visitors and was very quiet on my visit. For those interested in other aspects of Kazakh culture the Regional Museum is just across the road.

Amongst the collection are still some overtly political paintings and prints. However, I am unable to include these in the slide show as I was prevented from taking pictures half way through my visit. I had only been in the country a short time and wasn’t aware that trying to take pictures with anything other than a mobile phone will get you jumped on.

Location;

11 Azattyk Avenue, which is a side street off the main road close to the Central Bridge over the ural River, on the ‘Asian’ side.

GPS;

47.10632 N

51.92281 E

Opening Hours;

Monday – Friday; 09.00 – 19.00

Saturday and Sunday; 10.00 – 19.00

Closed between 13.00 and 14.00

Entrance;

1000 Tenge (£1.40)

Kasteyev State Arts Museum – Almaty – Kazakhstan

Museum of Art – Almaty

This is a large art gallery in the city that used to be the country’s capital before that ‘honour’ being claimed by the monstrosity which is Astana. The collection covers many aspects of Kazakh art other than paintings and sculptures from the Socialist era with displays of what are normally classified as folk art. However, the slide show only includes work produced pre-1990. Of particular note, and somewhat unusual in such collections of Socialist Realist art, is the two paintings that depict a) the ‘tradition’ of bride kidnapping, which was fought against under Socialism but which has seemingly managed to be revived in the last 35 years and is still a scourge of Kazakh society, especially in the rural areas and b) the sad image of a young woman who is the victim of an arranged marriage.

Location;

Koktem-3 microdistrict, 22/1

GPS;

43.23603 N

76.91931 E

Opening times;

Tuesday – Sunday; 10.00 – 18.00

Closed Monday

Entrance;

500 Tenge (£0.70)

Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts – Bishkek – Kyrgyzstan

The Kyrgyz National Museum of Fine Arts in Bishkek

This is another art gallery that displays much more than the art from the Socialist period. One picture to look out for (and which will be recognised by any readers who have an interest in Soviet Socialist Realist Art) is ‘The daughter of Soviet Kirghizia’ by SA Chuykov. This is the artist’s reproduction of the original which is in the New Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow.