On May 30, 2026, on the eve of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Political Repression, members of the Club of Leaders of Traditional Religions of Alma Ata visited the historical and memorial complex "Zhanalyk" (Alma Ata region).
In the 1930s and 1950s, there was an NKVD firing range, a place of executions and burials of political prisoners and the repressed. This is the largest mass burial place for victims of political repression in the Republic of Kazakhstan. Over 4,000 people are buried in Zhanalyk, including a large number of Orthodox clergy, monastics and laypeople.
Saints glorified as new martyrs of the Russian Church were shot and buried at the training ground: Hieromartyr Porfiry (Gulevich), Bishop of Crimea; Hieromartyr Makariy (Karmazin), Bishop of Yekaterinoslav; Venerable Martyr Pakhomiy (Rusin), hieromartyr of Aksai skete; Hieromartyr Simeon Afonkin, priest from Kaskelen; Hieromartyr Sergiy Brednikov, priest from Taldykurgan; Holy Martyr John Chestnov, a priest from Moscow; Hieromartyr Ilya Berezovsky, a priest from Novosibirsk; Hieromartyr Roman Marchenko, a priest from Issyk; Venerable Martyr Galaktion (Novikov), hieromonk of the Valaam Monastery.
Among the famous clergymen killed and buried in Zhanalyk are: Archbishop Innokenty (Pustynsky), former Archbishop of Turkestan; Bishop Tikhon (Sharapov) of Alma Ata, Archimandrite Arseny (Kordi), Archimandrite Pavlin (Goncharov) of the Alexander Nevsky Lavra, Archimandrite Arkady (Perepechko), Archpriest Nikifor Strelnikov, former sacristan of the Resurrection Cathedral. Archpriest Matthew Shevchenko, former rector of the Voznesensky Cathedral in the city of Verny.
Flowers were laid at the memorial and a visit was made to the museum complex dedicated to the memory of people who innocently suffered during the years of mass repression.
The participants of the event noted the importance of preserving the historical memory of the tragic pages of the past, which remind modern society of the value of human life, dignity, freedom of conscience and the need for peaceful coexistence of people of different beliefs and traditions.
For many years, the Club of Leaders of Traditional Religions in Alma Ata has served as a platform for interreligious dialogue, joint public initiatives and strengthening the atmosphere of peace and harmony in society.