A native of the Rishtan district of the Ferghana region, commander of the intelligence department of the 5th detachment of the partisan brigade "Chekist" Mamadali Topvaldiyev (1919–1969) – Hero of the Soviet Union "…For special merits in the development of the partisan movement in Belarus" is a memorable link between Belarus and Uzbekistan.
On February 20, 2024, the XV International Scientific and Practical Conference "Library in the XXI Century: activities, initiatives and results" was held on the basis of the Yakub Kolas Central Scientific Library of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus. As part of the implementation of the program of patriotic education of the population of the Republic of Belarus for 2022–2025, the chief bibliographer of the Department of reference and information services Olga Polunchenko presented the report "Biographical and bibliographic information about the Hero of the Soviet Union Mamadali Topvaldiyev in the system of patriotic education of the Republic of Belarus".
Bibliographic and biographical information about the heroic past was presented as a fundamental component in the formation of patriotic feelings, awareness of the need to preserve the memory of the historical exploits of the defenders of the Motherland, increasing the level of responsibility for the present and future of our Motherland among all age groups of the population.
The bibliographic portrait of Mamadali Topvaldiyev is represented by essays and articles on the pages of biographical reference books, collections, encyclopedias, magazines ("Star of the East", "Communist of Belarus", "Neman", "Social Sciences in Uzbekistan", "Soviet Screen") and newspapers ("Belorusskaya Niva", "Vecherny Minsk", "Vitebsk worker", "Vo slavy Rodini", "Zviazda", "Znamia Yunosti", "Komsomolskaya Pravda", "Mogilevskaya Pravda", "Soviet Belarus"). The Internet portal of the Mogilev Regional Executive Committee, the international patriotic Internet project "Heroes of the Country", a special project of the Publishing House "Belarus Today" and the National Archive of Belarus "Partisans of Belarus" contain biographical information and scanned originals of the documents submitted for the award.
The biography of Mamadali Topvaldiyev can take pride of place in such library events dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory as: traveling exhibitions and cycles of bibliographic portraits for military units, bibliographic master classes on working with reference publications and materials of a systematic index of articles, comprehensive bibliographic lessons, information hours and workshops, international library literary contests (storytelling, essays, poetry, drama) and artistic (oil and watercolor paintings, graphics, installations, drawings, sculpture) works. When summing up the results of the conference, the organizers invited the National Library of Belarus to participate with the presented cycle of bibliographic lessons in the project "School of an active citizen" of the Pervomaisky District Executive Committee, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory.
The rumor about the bravery of Topiboldi's firstborn aki and Melibuvi thundered throughout Belarus. A young guy blew up German barracks and trains, captured 76 Nazis and one general. The commander of the intelligence group "Chekist" Mamadali Topvaldiyev, carving his partisan nickname "Kazbek" on trees with a dagger, left a trail and kept the Germans at bay. Adolf Hitler promised 50,000 Reichsmarks for his head.
Mamadali led a detachment that operated in the Ratsevsky forests in the Mogilev region. On account of his unit: mining bridges and roads, the destruction of enemy groups, the release of prisoners of war from the outskirts of occupied Borisov and the center of Tolochinsky district, participation in decisive operations of the "Assault Group", delivery of important reports to the Supreme Commander.
Each time he managed to get away from the massacre. Having escaped from the policemen of the village of Krugloye, he united men from nearby villages – Dudakovichi and Oglobli to fight. Being alone in Vorontsevichi and Lukishki, from a safe shot distance, he opened fire on the approaching Nazis. In July 1944, he was appointed head of the Orsha commandant's office of the 2nd Belorussian Front.
In honor of Mamadali Topvaldiyev in the village. Monuments were erected in Kruglye and Rishtane, schools and streets were named, the village of Paserevo was renamed Topvaldievka, prizes were established in the Kruglyansky district for the best operators of grain flows and crews of combine harvesters, the film "The Unforgettable Song" (1974) was shot, a book by Tulkinjon Zohidov about a partisan from Rishtan was published.
As part of the official visit of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev to Belarus in August 2019, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Kruglyansky District Executive Committee of the Mogilev region and the Khokimiyat of the Rishtan district of the Ferghana region of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
In September 2019 the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus in the Republic of Uzbekistan took part in events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of defender of Belarus Hero of the Soviet Union Mamadali Topvaldiyev in Tashkent.
In March 2021, at the XIII Tashkent International Film Festival "Pearl of the Silk Road", the Belarusfilm and the Uzbek Cinematography Agency signed a Memorandum of Cooperation and an Agreement on the intention to make a full-length feature film with the working title "Kazbek".
Biographical information that recreates the history of a person's life and exploits in the context of the events of his era has an effective effect on the consciousness of citizens. The exploits of the Heroes of the Soviet Union and famous participants in the partisan movement are the most striking examples of the proper attitude of a citizen to the Motherland for the younger generation of Belarusians.
The names of the internationalist soldiers who, along with the citizens of the Belarusian Soviet Socialist Republic, took part in the liberation of Belarus from the Nazi invaders have been inscribed forever in the history of our state. Today, the common historical memory, glorified by the exploits of our grandfathers and great-grandfathers during the Great Patriotic War, is the basis of interethnic relations between fraternal peoples.
Belarus and Uzbekistan have warm friendly and business relations. Agreements on cooperation in the field of education, science and technology, and the agro-industrial complex were signed, and a joint Belarusian-Uzbek interdisciplinary Institute of Applied Technical Qualifications was established in Tashkent.
Our enterprises for the assembly of Belarusian equipment, the production of shoes and welding electrodes operate on the territory of Uzbekistan, the cooperative cooperation of joint-stock companies MAZ and KRANTAS GROUP continues, the founding documents of the Belarusian-Uzbek joint venture for the production of dairy products have been signed, joint projects for the production of medicines and so on are being implemented.
In peacetime, the Honored grain grower from Central Asia was a frequent and welcome guest in Belarus. Dozens of wagons of wood were sent by Belarusians, at his request, to the Serovo (Furkat) station for construction. Our countrymen moved to Uzbekistan to live with their fellow soldier. The biography of Mamadali Topvaldiyev, whom Belarusians affectionately called the Asian Lion from Pandigan, cannot be explored without tears and admiration.
Mamadali called Belarus his Homeland, and considered the village of Topvaldiivka (Paserevo) to be the main reward. Here, at the beginning of the war, a woman from Belarus saved his life and became his mother. The woman hid the young soldier in the cellar, for which she paid with brutal beatings and burned housing. Subsequently, the Uzbek son built a new house for his mother Anna and he visited her very often. At the age of 82, Anna Vasilyevna Rylkova took a handful of liberated Belarusian land to the grave of her Uzbek son and met with his family.
The dedication with which the young Uzbek fought for Belarus is a vivid example for the younger generations. Our Hero tragically died on the eve of Victory Day on May 7, 1969, but his memory will live on for centuries.
Belarus remembers you, Mamadali! Let's try to be worthy of Your Great Victory!
The material was provided by Polunchenko O.N.
(Chief bibliographer of the department
reference and information services
of the National Library of Belarus)
