Photo credit: ktk.kz
Kazakhstan’s Defense Ministry will allocate 2.5 billion tenge (approximately $5 million) for a military parade in Astana to mark the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, Deputy Head of the Ministry’s Educational and Ideological Work Department, Vitaliy Adamovich, told TASS.
According to Adamovich, the expenses will cover troop transportation, uniforms, fuel, and vehicle maintenance. The parade is expected to feature around 4,500 participants, including infantry formations, mechanized columns, and aerial displays. “A key highlight this year will be servicemen marching in historical military uniforms, as well as the first-ever display of battle flags from military units originally formed in Kazakhstan,” he noted.
Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of National Economy Arman Kasenov described the Victory Parade as a symbolic event for Kazakhstan. He also argued that the 2.5 billion tenge expenditure is “not a significant sum,” ORDA.kz reports.
Scheduled for May 7, the parade will commemorate both the 80th anniversary of Victory in World War II and Kazakhstan’s Defender of the Fatherland Day. It will be the main event among 94 scheduled celebrations.
Kazakhstan last held a Victory Day parade in 2019. In 2020 and 2021, it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Authorities cited budget constraints as the reason for calling it off in 2022, 2023, and 2024, given the country’s ongoing fiscal deficit.
