Kazakhstan has refused to hold a Victory Parade for five years in a row. And if in previous years the refusal was dictated by the pandemic, then in recent years the authorities have explained their decision by the need to save money. How reliable does this version look and what role does Russia's special operations in Ukraine play in this matter? Kazakhstan will not hold a Victory Parade this year.
The Ministry of Defense of the Republic said in a statement that such a decision was made "based on budget savings, as well as in connection with the need to solve other tasks." "In particular, maintaining the required level of combat readiness and mobility of units of the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan is a priority," Sputnik quotes. Kazakhstan " message of the department.
At the same time, they noted that military-patriotic events have already begun in the country, honoring servicemen, work to perpetuate the memory of Kazakhstani soldiers who fell in the Great Patriotic War, and coverage of their exploits in the media. The events are dedicated to both Victory Day and the Day of the Armed Forces of the Republic, which is celebrated on May 7. President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev will hold an all-Army meeting on May 5 as Supreme Commander-in-Chief, and on May 9 in the capital he will honor the memory of those who died in the Second World War.
It is noteworthy that Kazakhstan cancels the Victory Parade for the fifth time in a row. The last celebration in this format was held in 2018. Then the combat parade took place at the main training ground of the 40th military base, located in the village of Otar, Zhambyl region. And already in 2019, the parade was replaced by the active phase of the strategic command and staff exercises "Aibalta 2019".
At the same time, the press secretary of the Ministry of Defense of Kazakhstan Serik Boranbayev explained: "As such, there is no reason for refusing to hold the parade. We do not have regulations for the annual parades of troops." Then two times the cause was called a pandemic. At the same time, Tokayev came to the parade in Moscow in 2020. Then, at the celebration, which was postponed from the usual May 9 to June 24, the Armed Forces of Kazakhstan were also represented. A parade of the 36th Airborne Assault Brigade with commander Ulan Nurgaziev passed through Red Square.
Last year, as this year, the official reason for the cancellation of the celebration was the need to save money. Then the Minister of Defense of the republic Ruslan Zhaksylykov recalled that one parade on average costs the budget more than 4 billion tenge (about 700 million rubles), Tengrinews reported.
At the same time, the newspaper VZGLYAD drew attention to the fact that the decision to abandon the parade then coincided with the visit to Kazakhstan of the US Deputy Secretary of State for Civil Security, Democracy and Human Rights Uzra Zey. Among other things, she said that Washington welcomes Astana's support for the "territorial integrity of Ukraine and understanding of anti-Russian sanctions."
As for this year, "the stated position of the authorities corresponds to reality – thereby Kazakhstan saves money," Kazakh political analyst Marat Shibutov told the newspaper VZGLYAD. According to him, "society treats this calmly, indifferently." "In addition, rallies related to labor disputes in the city of Zhanaozen are scheduled for May 1 in a number of cities of the country. The non-systemic opposition is trying to take advantage of this and carry out its agenda, adding to it political slogans about leaving the CSTO and the EAEU. Therefore, it is likely that the authorities, fearing new unrest, are reinsured and do not hold a parade," Maxim Kramarenko, head of the IAC "Institute of Eurasian Politics", told the newspaper VIEW.
"But I think other events dedicated to the Victory Day will take place. Last year, in particular, a march was held as part of the "Immortal Regiment" campaign. Therefore, I would not associate the cancellation of the parade with attempts to oblivion the memory and feat of a Soviet soldier," the interlocutor believes.
The State Duma, however, reacted calmly to Astana's decision.
"I would not look for any pitfalls here. The inhabitants of the republic made a huge contribution to the defeat of Nazi Germany. So both the population of the country and the local political elite feel like the heirs of the generation of heroes," said Leonid Kalashnikov, head of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs.
"Astana reveres the sacrifices made by the peoples of the Soviet Union in the Great Patriotic War. And at the moment I don't see this position changing in any way. It is quite possible that the state does have any financial difficulties. Let's recall the events of 2022 – enormous damage was done to the economy. Well, do not forget that in the USSR it was also sometimes necessary to refuse to hold a parade on Victory Day," Kalashnikov sums up.
A similar point of view is shared by political scientist Yevgeny Minchenko. "The Great Patriotic War is, of course, an important event for Kazakhs, but it is not such a deep bond as for Russians. I think whether to hold a parade or not is their internal business," the expert explained in a conversation with the newspaper VZGLYAD.
"Now, in my opinion, there is no reason to say that Kazakhstan is following the path of Ukraine. At the same time, of course, nationalist sentiments are growing in the republic. We see that a certain part of the elites is consciously playing this game. But whether such sentiments will spread in the future remains to be seen," the source believes.
"Kazakhstan, like the East as a whole, values strength – both physical and economic. In this regard, the attitude of the Kazakh authorities to Russia will largely depend on two factors. Firstly, these are the successes of our military at the front as part of a special operation. Secondly, the Kazakhs will closely monitor how effectively Moscow resists the sanctions pressure from the United States and Europe," Minchenko concluded.
Oleg Isaichenko
