Turkmenistan to Pay WWII Veterans Around $10, Far Below Regional Levels

Payments to World War II veterans ahead of Victory Day continue to vary significantly across Central Asia, with Turkmenistan offering one of the lowest levels of support in the region. At a government meeting on April 24, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov, discussing traditional commemorative events for May 9, instructed officials to organize the distribution of commemorative gifts to veterans and women who worked on the home front during the war. A cash payment is also expected. According to available information, as in previous years, it may amount to 200 manats, approximately $57 at the official exchange rate or about $10 at the unofficial rate. The latter figure is more commonly used for cross-country comparisons. Against this backdrop, support levels in neighboring countries appear significantly higher. In Kyrgyzstan, veterans are set to receive a one-time payment of around $2,300. In Uzbekistan, payments will amount to approximately $2,400. Kazakhstan offers the highest payments in the region, with veterans set to receive about $10,500 each. Final figures for Tajikistan have not yet been announced, although last year veterans received around 4,810 somoni (approximately $440-$480, depending on the exchange rate).

 Victory Day Payments for WWII Veterans in Former Soviet Republics

To mark the 79th anniversary of the Second World War Victory, celebrated in former Soviet republics on 9 May, Kazakhstan's 50,100 WWII veterans and contributors each received at least 1.5 million tenge ($3,500). According to Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Population, Victory Day awards differed from region to region. Qualified residents in Akmola received 3 million tenge, in Aktobe, over 2 million tenge, and in Abay, Almaty, Karaganda, and Pavlodar as well as the cities of Astana and Almaty, 2 million tenge. Records of 1 May, show that 148 WW2 veterans currently reside in Kazakhstan. The country is also home to 50,012 others who played important roles in winning the war, including 70 residents of besieged Leningrad; 149 prisoners of German concentration camps; 2,314 spouses of those killed and disabled in battle ; 2 widows of soldiers who died or went missing, and 47,477 people who manned the home front. During WWII, over 1.2 million Kazakhs were called to the Soviet-German front. Fighting in over 20 infantry divisions, fifty percent died or went missing in combat. In Kyrgyzstan, 41 surviving war veterans will each receive 100 thousand soms (almost $1,130) from the President’s Fund. In Russia, veterans will receive a single federal payment of 10 thousand rubles (about $109), and those based in Moscow, an additional 10 -25 thousand rubles. Victory Day payments to veterans in Belarus are around $1,226 per head, and in Azerbaijan, $1,200.