While Russia continues to place heavy emphasis on celebrating the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany 81 years ago, the holiday’s importance is diminishing across much of the former Soviet space.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was one of only two Central Asian heads of state present when Russia hosted its annual commemoration of victory in World War II. While Tokayev’s attendance at the much-diminished May 9 parade signalled continued diplomatic support for Moscow, commemorations inside Kazakhstan continue to drift away from their Soviet roots.
This year saw no military parades anywhere in Kazakhstan while the president was in Moscow. Instead, officials laid flowers at the Defenders of the Fatherland memorial in Astana. Meanwhile, a local version of the Immortal Regiment march, where families parade with portraits of relatives who fought during World War II, took place in the southern city of Almaty after questions about its approval.
Despite Soviet flags still being visible during the march – now known as Batyrlarga Tagzym, Tribute to the Heroes – they were far outnumbered by Kazakh flags and ribbons. Officials further reinforced this shift by handing out ribbons in Kazakhstan’s turquoise-and-yellow national colors before the march began.
In recent years, Kazakhstan has worked extensively to reshape the national meaning of the holiday, minimizing Soviet symbolism at celebrations across the country. This was already evident at last year’s parade in Astana, where Soviet remembrance was almost entirely replaced by displays of Kazakh nationalism.
This trend reflects not only changing historical memory, but Kazakhstan’s broader pragmatic effort to strengthen ties with foreign partners and position itself more clearly as an independent actor on the international stage.
The last Victory Day parade in Kazakhstan took place in Almaty in 2019. It also marked the country’s last official Immortal Regiment march complete with Soviet flags and the traditional black-and-orange St. George ribbons. Kazakh military personnel took part as well, marching and riding through applauding crowds.
In the years that followed, the COVID-19 pandemic halted public commemorations. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Kazakhstan further altered its approach to Victory Day remembrance.
Authorities moved to stop Immortal Regiment marches and instead promoted digitized remembrance of Kazakh World War II veterans through the Tribute to the Heroes campaign. Kazakhstan also refrained from holding a military parade until the 80th anniversary of World War II’s end in Europe last year. Even then, the parade in Astana was held not on May 9, but on May 7 – Defender of the Fatherland Day – celebrating Kazakhstan’s own armed forces rather than Soviet victory.
Without a physical outlet to commemorate veteran relatives, several groups pushed to revive the Immortal Regiment marches in 2025 under the Tribute to the Heroes slogan. Though initially banned, marches in Almaty and several other cities were approved only days before May 9 last year.
Even so, the continuation of the march was far from guaranteed this year.
While Immortal Regiment events remain popular across the former Soviet Union, Kazakhstan is among the post-Soviet states actively attempting to reshape the celebration. This year, Almaty’s mayor again waited until May 7 before approving the march.
During the procession itself, overt Soviet nostalgia appeared visibly diminished. At one point, a participant shouted, “Glory to the Red Army,” only to be met with immediate boos from much of the surrounding crowd.
Although altered in form, the Almaty march still became the largest event of the holiday period, as last year’s military parade was not repeated on either May 7 or May 9. Instead, a range of smaller cultural events took place across the country, from national equestrian games to performances of Kazakh music.
Despite being in Moscow on the day itself, Tokayev also issued his congratulations to the nation on May 9. His message notably avoided Soviet nostalgia, instead emphasizing the bravery of Kazakhs and expressing hope that the Kazakh flag would “[a]lways rise under our clear skies, symbolizing the peace-loving, progressive aspirations of our people.”
While this shift has accelerated since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, it also aligns with Kazakhstan’s wider efforts to deepen international relations, particularly with partners such as the EU and the United States. Recent years have brought major trade agreements and growing diplomatic engagement. By moving away from Soviet-centered remembrance, Kazakhstan is signaling its ambition to define itself on its own terms, no longer as a state primarily shaped by its former imperial ruler and closest historical collaborator.
Soviet memory remains a visible part of Victory Day commemorations, but Kazakhstan is taking increasingly deliberate steps to distance itself from that legacy. Whether this symbolic transformation will further strengthen the country’s international positioning remains to be seen, but the direction of travel is becoming difficult to ignore.
