Veteran from Tajikistan: to see revived Stalingrad was a dream

Lydia Isamov. In Tajikistan today survived only one participant of the Stalingrad battle - Hakim Halimov. This year he will celebrate two anniversaries: the 70th anniversary of the great Victory and its 90th anniversary.

Tajikistan during the war was sent to the front more than 290 thousand of its Inhabitants, about one third of them never returned. In their honour in the country installed hundreds of monuments and obelisks, and 55 photos of soldiers who became Heroes of the Soviet Union, exhibited at the "Alley of heroes" in Dushanbe the Park of Victory. As of 1 April in Tajikistan survived 849 veterans of the great Patriotic war, the youngest of whom is 89 years old and the oldest - 113 years.

"To see revived Stalingrad was my only dream for many years," said Fins news Khalimov.

in the early winter of 1942, he received the baptism of fire in the battle for this city. Then, beating off the attacks of the Nazis, he saw only ruins.

His dream came true over 70 years later - in 2014 at the invitation of the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has visited Volgograd.

"During the meeting on Mamaev hill Putin gave me a couple of watches and two TV," says the veteran.

in 2014, he also at the invitation of the President of Russia visited the Russian capital at the celebrations dedicated to the 69th anniversary of the Victory. During the parade Khalimov was sitting on the red square together with other veterans from countries of the former USSR.

A year later Khalimov again will attend the Victory parade - he was one of three veterans from Tajikistan invited to the capital of Russia. Even before the parade, 27-28 April he will participate in the work of the international forum of the winners of " the Great Victory gained by unity ".

to the front Khalimov left when he was 16 years old. From the second Ukrainian front, he participated in the battles for the liberation of Hungary, Austria and Prague.

According to the veteran, the course of the young fighter he was in the town of Pugachev near Stalingrad in heavy battles were injured and wounded, but After recovering in hospital he returned to the front.

After demobilization in 1949 he lives in Dushanbe, where until his retirement he worked as a bricklayer. He had eight children, three of them have already died. Currently Khalimova 26 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren.

Despite his age, he'll remember most of the episodes of the war, most of the crossing of the Danube near Budapest, in memory calls with a dozen words in the Hungarian language, hums a few war songs.

the most like him " darkie ".


sections: Politics