On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, countries across Central Asia are providing special payments to surviving war veterans. Here's a breakdown of how many veterans remain in each country and what support they will receive:
Tajikistan
Veterans of the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945(GPW 1941-1945) in Tajikistan will receive a one-time payment of 50,000 somonis ($4,810) on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Victory. The funds for the payment will be allocated from the President's Reserve Fund.
Additionally, by Dushanbe mayor’s decree each GPW 1941-1945 veteran living in the capital will receive 25,000 somonis (US$2,405).
As of today, there are 17 GPW 1941-1945 veterans remaining alive in Tajikistan (down from 24 in May 2024). Of them, 8 live in Khatlon province, 2 in Sughd province, 2 in Dushanbe, and 5 in districts subordinate to the center (RRP). There are no GPW 1941-1945 veterans remaining in the Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region, or GBAO.
The oldest living war veteran is Rashid Karimov, will turn 113 years old this year.
More than 300,000 residents of Tajikistan reportedly took part in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 and 92,000 of them died in battle.
Kazakhstan
- Veterans remaining: 111 (as of April 1, 2025)
- One-time payment: 5 million tenge (~$9,687)
- During the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, Kazakhstan sent 1.2 million citizens to the Red Army, in addition to 178,000 who were already serving in the Soviet military. More than 600,000 Kazakhs died in the war.
Uzbekistan
- Veterans remaining: 82, including individuals granted equal status; the oldest is 114 years old.
- One-time payment: US$10,000 per veteran
- Based on updated military records, 1.9 million people were mobilized from Uzbekistan, and 538,000 died during the war.
Kyrgyzstan
- Veterans remaining: 32, including frontline soldiers, siege survivors, and concentration camp prisoners
- One-time payment: 100,000 soms (~US$1,140)
- Over 360,000 people from Kyrgyzstan fought in WWII. More than 160,000 died in combat.
Turkmenistan
- Number of veterans: Unknown
- Since 2018, May 9 is no longer a public holiday in Turkmenistan.
- About 180,000 people from Turkmenistan took part in the war; nearly 100,000 never returned.
Russia
- GWP 1941-1945 veterans remaining: About 7,000 frontline soldiers
- Total veterans (including blockade survivors, rear workers, etc.): ~300,000
- One-time payment: 80,000 rubles (~$967)
- Eligible recipients include frontline soldiers and disabled veterans, widows, underage concentration camp prisoners, and recipients of badges such as "Resident of Blockaded Leningrad," "Resident of Besieged Sevastopol," and "Resident of Besieged Stalingrad."
- From Russia, over 34.47 million participated in the GPW 1941-1945, including 490,000 women. Irrecoverable losses reached 11.94 million, with 6.88 million confirmed dead and 4.56 million missing or captured.
