On the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow, a Memorial Service Was Held in the Dormition Cathedral of Astana for Those Who Perished During the Great Patriotic War

On June 22, 2025 — the Day of Remembrance and Sorrow and the 84th anniversary of the beginning of the Great Patriotic War — a memorial service was held in the Dormition Cathedral of the city of Astana.

With the blessing of Metropolitan Alexander of Astana and Kazakhstan, the keykeeper of the cathedral, Hieromonk Dimitry (Baydek), celebrated a memorial panikhida for “the leaders and warriors who laid down their lives for the Fatherland during the years of the Great Patriotic War” and for all who perished in that time of trial.

The choir of the capital’s main cathedral sang under the direction of Olga Varentsova.

Praying at the memorial service were: the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Kazakhstan, A. N. Borodavkin; the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Belarus to the Republic of Kazakhstan, A. I. Bogdanov; staff members of the diplomatic missions of Russia and Belarus; representatives of the public association “Atamnyn Amanaty”; staff of the Astana Diocesan Administration; representatives of cultural centers; and parishioners of the capital’s churches.

At the conclusion of the panikhida, Hieromonk Dimitry (Baydek), Alexey Nikolaevich Borodavkin, and Alexey Igorevich Bogdanov addressed those gathered with reflections on the importance of preserving the memory of those who suffered during the years of the Great Patriotic War.

“Memory eternal” was proclaimed for “all the leaders and warriors who laid down their lives on the battlefield, who perished from wounds and hunger, who were innocently tortured and killed in captivity and forced labor, and all who labored for the sake of Victory.”

The event was covered by representatives of secular and ecclesiastical media outlets.