Kazakh Partisans Honored for Role in French Resistance

On May 8, 2025, a solemn ceremony commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of France was held in Astana at the monument to General Charles de Gaulle. During the event, French diplomats posthumously awarded medals to three Kazakh partisans, Kadem Dzhumaniyazov, Kabysh Omarov, and Ashimbek Istybayev, for their contributions to the French Resistance during World War II. The awards were presented by Sylvain Guillemot, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Kazakhstan. According to the French Embassy’s press service, the medals were signed personally by Sébastien Lecornu, France’s Minister of the Armed Forces, who also took part in the ceremony. “The memory of May 8, 1945, unites us, for this day marks the end of hostilities against a common enemy. However, today, in addition to celebrating the 80th anniversary of the Liberation of France, we are particularly keen to pay tribute to the Kazakh partisans who fought side by side with French soldiers on our soil,” Guillemot stated during the ceremony. “All of France stands behind us.” Guillemot emphasized that Dzhumaniyazov, Omarov, and Istybayev were not just names but “faces and destinies” among the hundreds of Kazakh fighters who demonstrated heroism in France. “I am deeply proud and moved to have the honor of presenting the awards that rightfully belong to them and that should adorn their chests upon their return to their homeland. These are not commemorative medals, but real combat decorations,” he said. The ambassador added that the recognition represents a powerful symbol of the enduring friendship between France and Kazakhstan, a bond, he noted, "forged in blood." Historical records indicate that approximately 300 ethnic Kazakhs participated in the French Resistance during World War II.