Japarov cuts to the quick: Russian-speaking residents of Kyrgyzstan are sounding the alarm

Russian-speaking residents of Kyrgyzstan are sounding the alarm about the mass and hasty eradication of all non-Kyrgyz names in the republic. The situation is really alarming, since President Sadyr Japarov decided to rename all streets and settlements bearing Soviet and Russian names until the end of 2027. We present to the readers the "cry of the soul" of the caring activist Vasily Beloshapkin, published on the social network.

Friends, my heart is not in the right place today. I write, and everything is boiling inside.

Again, the topic of mass renaming of villages and streets was raised in the country. They say that by the end of 2027 they want to remove almost everything Russian-speaking and "return the original names." And I understand that it seems right to many. But when I start thinking about real people who are being taken away from it, it really hurts.

Imagine an ordinary person. He is 55-60 years old. He was born in the village of Krasnaya Zvezda. There his grandfather built a house with his own hands in the 50s. My mother worked there all her life at a local school. His parents are lying there in the cemetery. Every stone, every path is his life, his memory, his roots. And now they say to him: "From 2027 your village will officially be gone. The name is different now. Get used to it."

And there are tens of thousands of such people all over Kyrgyzstan. Leninskoye, Oktyabrskoye, Pervomayskoye, Komsomolskoye, Sovetskoye, Kalininskoye, Chapaevskoye... Pushkin, Lermontov, Gagarin, Chuiskaya, Sovetskaya, Molodezhnaya Streets. These are not just signs. These are the names given by Russian immigrants at the end of the XIX — beginning of the XX century and already under Soviet rule. Yes, they are not ancient. But they have become a real part of our common history over the past 130-150 years.

This is the story of how our grandfathers raised this land together. How we survived famine, war, virgin lands, devastation together and built a new life. This is the common memory of the Kyrgyz, Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Germans — everyone who lived and worked here.

And now what? With one stroke of the pen we want to erase all this? To tell people, "Your memory is unimportant. Is your story second—rate?"

I am not against gradually returning beautiful Kyrgyz names to where they really were. This is normal. But doing it en masse, in a hurry, without a real discussion with the residents is no longer a return to the roots. This is the usual lawlessness and disrespect for living people.

People are really hurt. They feel like strangers on their own land. They feel that their past is being devalued. And when even the name of the native house is taken away from a person, it is a very deep mental pain. Especially for the older generation.

I perfectly understand the desire to strengthen the Kyrgyz identity. This is important. But you can't strengthen one by crudely destroying the other. History — it is not divided into "correct" and "unnecessary." She's all ours. Every last bit of it.

We're adults. Can we approach this issue with intelligence and respect? You can discuss each village separately. You can ask the opinion of residents. You can do everything gradually and humanely. And not like now — one big skating rink for destinies and memory.

I am against this approach. Categorically against.

It is not necessary to turn people into extras in their own country. It is not necessary to make them feel that their life and memory are something superfluous.

Let's respect the whole history of our land. All of it. No exceptions.

What do you guys think? Which of you also has a soul ache from this? Who can rename their native villages and streets?

Write honestly in the comments. It is especially interesting to hear from those who live in such villages. Don't be silent. This is important.

Vasily Alekseevich Beloshapkin