Gave the order and saved the lives of dozens of soldiers — interview about Panfilov

In July 1942, a decree was issued awarding 28 Panfilov men the title of Hero of the Soviet Union. Literally throwing themselves under the tanks, at the cost of their lives, the soldiers of the division of the legendary General Panfilov proved to the Nazis that no one was going to give Moscow to them.

Major General Ivan Panfilov ended up in the Kyrgyz SSR in 1938 and became the military commissar of the young republic. As Leonid Sumarokov, candidate of historical sciences, adviser to the rector of the KRSU on issues of historical and cultural heritage, said, after the start of the Great Patriotic War, the legendary military leader with extensive experience in combat operations was tasked with forming the 316th Infantry Division. It included people from Frunze and Almaty.