Translated with AI
Victory Day is a holiday of bright memory, pride, and honor. Dedicated to Khoronboy Zoirovich Kurbanov
Every day of the calendar brings us closer to a significant date – the celebration of Victory Day in the Great Patriotic War. In Tajikistan, as in all countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, every family has its own hero, honored and passed on their memory to their children and grandchildren. This continuity has lived on for several generations and has become one of the moral foundations, the unifying core of every family. Heroes live forever in our hearts; we remember them always. But May 9th has become a day when these memories unite not only members of an individual family, but the entire nation. On this day, we all become one big, friendly family. We are proud of the hero's achievements, not only of our hero, but of the entire country, of all those who defeated fascism, brought peace to the world, to every family, and enabled our grandfathers and fathers to build a peaceful, happy life for us, their descendants.
If, on the eve of Victory Day, a roll call were held of the war's participants and heroes, the voice of Major Khoronboy Zoirovich Kurbanov, a participant and veteran of the Great Patriotic War, would also be heard. For him, the war began, as for everyone else, on June 22, 1941, but ended only in March 1946.
He was a party official, a soldier, a hard worker. He fought the enemy on the battlefield and worked to rebuild the national economy after the war. His military and peaceful labors were recognized by the state and the people. He was awarded orders and medals that have inspired generations of his family and fellow countrymen, evoking a sense of pride in him, his name, his heroism, and his achievements.
Khoronboy Zoirovia began his career in 1936 at the Tajikistan Consumer Cooperative, but in the pre-war year of 1940, he was transferred as an instructor in the military department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan. There, he learned of the outbreak of war, and as a party official in the military department, much depended on him. The country was adapting to wartime laws, and a tremendous amount of work was required to restructure Tajikistan's entire national economy to meet the needs of the army and the front. This was not a heroic act, but a duty. A duty to the Motherland, the people, and family… The Republic rebuilt itself and began to bring Victory closer, both on the battlefields, in the agricultural fields, and in the factories and plants.
With the onset of the Great Patriotic War, Tajikistan became a powerful rear base, supplying ammunition, uniforms, equipment, and food to the front lines. Wounded soldiers and evacuated civilians were also brought to Tajikistan from the front lines. The republic's residents welcomed them as family, sharing their shelter and their last crust of bread with them.
But the heroism of the republic's residents wasn't limited to labor on the home front. 300,000 people left Tajikistan for the front, 90,000 of whom never returned.
Among those who went to the front were soldiers from the 61st Cavalry Division, formed in Tajikistan. Soldiers from Dushanbe, then Stalinabad, Kulyab, and Kurgan-Tyube were sent as part of the division to Stalingrad, the battle for which became a turning point in the war. The dry text of history textbooks cannot capture the full scale of this epic battle, which lasted over 200 days and nights.
Khoronboy Zoirovich Kurbanov was one of these glorious fighters of the cavalry division. He was the division's commissar, serving as an example to the soldiers, and his every word was a call to remember their duty to their Motherland. They were all brothers who must protect their mother, even at the cost of their lives. The soldiers knew that the outcome of not only this battle, but the entire war depended on them. They fought to the death. The cry "For the Motherland, for Stalin!", according to the soldiers themselves, strengthened their courage and confidence in victory. After all, they were fighting for their Motherland, their people, their families and loved ones, and – for their freedom. Behind each of those going into battle stood their beloved cities, villages, and familiar faces.
In one of these brutal, bloody battles near Stalingrad, then Captain Kurbanov was wounded and sent to the hospital for treatment.
After his hospitalization, he was sent to Iran, where he continued his service in Soviet intelligence, establishing contact with the NKVD residency in Tehran. Kurbanov was highly literate and spoke several languages, including Farsi perfectly: he could speak, read, and write Farsi. His language skills were in demand here in Iran, where he was transferred directly from the hospital, along with other Red Army officers who spoke Farsi. Preparations were underway in the city for the Tehran Conference, the first conference of the "Big Three"—the leaders of three countries: I. V. Stalin (USSR), F. D. Roosevelt (USA), and W. Churchill (Great Britain)—since World War II. The well-known Soviet film "Tehran-43" only scratches the surface of the secret war behind the scenes. Soviet intelligence officers, including Captain Kurbanov, ensured the safety of the conference participants. Illegal spy Kurbanov was part of a special group tasked with identifying Nazi agents and German spies in Tehran and other Iranian cities. The successful operation by Soviet intelligence officers contributed to the successful conclusion of the Tehran Conference and became a major achievement of Soviet intelligence and a legacy of World War II, hastening its end.
For obvious reasons, Khoronboy Zoirovich never spoke about his service in Iran. He simply fulfilled his duty to his country, risking his life daily and bearing responsibility not only for himself but also for many of his comrades. He was a modest man of few words, but his government military decorations clearly attested to his achievements.
The war ended on May 9, 1945, with the victory of the Soviet Army and the Soviet people, but Kurbanov continued his military service. It was only in March 1946 that he was discharged into the reserve with the rank of major and sent to work for the party in his homeland, where his parents, wife, and young daughter awaited him. The family had longed for their hero—a son, husband, and father. In memory of those distant days, Khoronboy Zoirovich celebrated Victory Day every year with his friend and fellow soldier, Usman Kurbanovich Kurbanov, a renowned Soviet-Tajik statesman who headed one of the republic's ministries for many years. Their families grew, children were born, and Victory Day gatherings became ever more widespread and vibrant. The children came to love this holiday as the most important, the most significant, and the happiest for their families and for the country. This tradition of celebrating May 9 has continued in their families to this day. Glory and eternal memory to our heroes!
In March 1946, Kurbanov returned to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan and became head of the military department. His military experience, iron discipline, promptness in resolving complex issues, and organizational skills were in demand by the republic. The country was recovering from the war, building a peaceful economy aimed at improving the well-being of its people.
Despite his workload, Khoronboy Zoirovich continued to work on himself, completing the party courses of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, receiving a higher party education, and the Tajik State University named after V.I. Lenin, after graduating from which he received a higher economic education.
The experience and knowledge of a man who had lived through the war and cherished every moment of peacetime were reflected in the subsequent work of Khoronboy Zoirovich Kurbanov. He devoted all his energy to developing the republic's national economy. He was elected First Secretary of the Kirovobad, Yavan, Regar, and Leninsky District Party Committees of Tajikistan. He worked for many years in the republic's State Committee for Agricultural Technology and was responsible for the logistical support of the republic's agriculture. His entire life was with the people and for the people. He was respected as a leader by both the people and the republic's leaders—outstanding Soviet state and party figures, First Secretaries of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Tajikistan, Hero of Tajikistan, historian, orientalist, and author of the book "Tajiks," Bobojon Gafurovich Gafurov, and one of the builders of industrial Tajikistan, Tursunboy Uldzhabayevich Uldzhabayev. Their working relationship eventually developed into a friendship they cherished until the end of their lives. Bobojon Gafurov, now director of the Institute of Oriental Studies of the USSR Academy of Sciences, sent postcards with good wishes or wonderful souvenirs to his "friend, brother Khoronboy," as he called him, from every trip and on every holiday. They established a tradition of meeting in Moscow at least once a year, when the two friends could share memories or discuss interesting topics in science or life. They both highly valued and cherished this friendship.
For his significant achievements in agricultural development, and in particular, for achieving the highest cotton yields in the USSR, Khoronboy Zoirovich Kurbanov was awarded the USSR's highest award—the Order of Lenin—and the Hero of Socialist Labor gold medal in 1957. He participated in the All-Union Conference of Cotton Growers of the Soviet Union and was awarded numerous gold medals at the Exhibition of Achievements of the National Economy of the USSR for his achievements in cotton growing.
Khoronboy Zoirovich Kurbanov lived a worthy life, for he was and remained an officer in the Red Army that defeated fascism. A victor. A victor in both military and peaceful combat. He couldn't imagine his life any other way.
Today, on this festive day, we pay tribute to the heroic deeds of Khoronboy Zoirovich Kurbanov! We will always remember him and be proud of him.
And on Victory Day, we express these words of gratitude not only to him, but to all who fought for our Motherland, shed blood and gave their lives for our future.
Glory to our heroes! Long live May 9th! Long live Victory Day!
Дети и внуки героя Х.З.Курбанова
