Kazakh WWII veteran urges remembrance of history, protection of peace

ALMATY -- A Kazakh veteran who was a soldier of Soviet troops sent to Northeast China to fight Japanese aggressor troops shortly before the end of World War II urged people to remember history, and safeguard the hard-earned peace and stability.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Anatoliy Kulinich recalled his experience in serving in the Soviet navy.

After Soviet leader Joseph Stalin signed a decree to enlist war orphans into the army in 1943, Kulinich, who lost his father in the Great Patriotic War to fight Nazi Germany, was able to join the army despite a young age. He served as a signalman in the Red Banner Amur Flotilla and soon he was on the gunboat "Kirov."

At the Yalta Conference in February 1945, Stalin promised his allies to declare war on Japan in two to three months following the end of warfare in Europe. Later Soviet troops entered Northeast China, liberating provinces and cities, attacking strategically important targets of the Japanese army, shooting down Japanese planes and sinking Japanese ships.

The seamen of the Red Banner Amur Flotilla were also ordered to begin combat operations.

The veteran said he was a witness of endless and outrageous brutality of the Japanese militarists.

"The Japanese showed no mercy and compassion to the Chinese. They tormented people, tested weapons on them, killed civilians, raped women, organized terrible demonstration executions and even tortured the Chinese in the most brutal ways," he said.

"Now there's little information about this and it is wrong. There are certain things that cannot be forgotten," Kulinich said.

After the war, Kulinich was awarded a medal for "The Victory Over Japan" and he even received a letter from Stalin who appreciated him for excellent performance in the battles against Japan.

In the interview, Kulinich also called on people to cherish their national traditions and customs while respecting the cultures of other nations.

"It is a difficult time now. Armed conflicts break out in many countries and terrorists blow up public buildings and schools. Nevertheless, we cannot give in to emotions and have to find a reasonable solution," Kulinich said.

He called on all people to cherish the hard-earned peace and stability, as there is nothing worse in the world than war.