Kalmykia honours memory of those who died during years of deportation

On the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Deportation of the Kalmyk people, the cities of Kalmykia hosted commemorative events. It is important to continue to keep the memory of the victims of deportation, users of the social media point out.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on December 28, 2021, in Elista, more than 500 people came to a rally to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Stalinist deportation of the Kalmyk people.

Batu Khasikov, the leader of Kalmykia, and public activists laid flowers at the “Exodus and Return” memorial, the Ministry of Digital Development reported on the “VKontakte” social media outlet.

The leader of Kalmykia emphasized that the people of the republic, in spite of everything, “preserved their national identity, language, and culture.”

For 13 years, Kalmyks could not return to their homeland, reminds Facebook* user Elena Erdnyashina. “The deportation of entire peoples is a terrifying crime ... The deportation was carried out in inhumane ways,” the Facebook* user notes.

Facebook* user Baatar B. BorMangna called on other users to remember about the victims of the deportation. “Many of us no longer have living relatives who were deported to Siberia and Kazakhstan in 1943-44. Another 10-20 years will pass, and there will be a few people in the entire Kalmykia who survived the deportation,” the Facebook* user wrote.

*On March 21, the Tverskoi Court of Moscow banned the activities in Russia of the Meta Company, owning Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, in connection with the extremist activities.