March 8 – anniversary of the deportation of the Balkar people
Today, the Balkar people remember the Stalinist deportation that began 81 years ago. On March 8, 1944, 37 thousand people – mostly old people, women and children – were sent to Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
Almost 40% of the settlers did not return home after rehabilitation. There is not a single Balkar family that did not bury their loved ones on the way or in the settlement in Central Asia and Kazakhstan.
Officially, the deportation was justified by the alleged facts of participation of representatives of the Balkar people in collaborationist formations that fought on the side of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Balkars were allowed to return to their land only on March 28, 1957. This day is celebrated in Kabardino-Balkaria as Revival Day.
