The remains of another Kazakh soldier who died during the World War Two were found almost 80 years later. Serik Smailov got to the front at the age of 22. But soon he lost touch with his relatives. From archival documents it became known that he fought at Stalingrad. He also participated in the Battle of Kursk, which became the last one for the soldier. There is no more information about him.
“A few years ago, when I was living in Moscow, I started looking for data. We made an official inquiry to the Russian Defense Ministry, and we received a reply that Serik Smailov, drafted by the Sarysu military commissariat in 1942, was buried in a mass grave in the village of Bezlyudovka of the Shebekinsky district of Belgorod region. Previously, it used to be called the Kursk region. I started to verify these data, and it was indicated that his wife's name was Bagilya. This is exactly who my grandparents are,” said Murat Utemissov, grandson of Serik Smailov.
“When they said they’d found Serik’s grave, we were as happy as if he’d returned from the war. We were thrilled to pieces. A handful of land was brought from his grave to his homeland. Serik and my father Ashim are brothers. They both did not return from the war. My father is still missing,” added actor Assanali Ashimov.
Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova
Editing by Galiya Khassenkhanova
