103-year-old WWII veteran Valentina Volkodav passed away in Petropavlovsk

Photo: North Kazakhstan Regional Akimat press service

Tengrinews.kz - Valentina Volkodav, a World War II veteran who marched from the Volga to Berlin and left behind a legacy of courage and strength, has died in Petropavlovsk at the age of 103.

Her passing was announced on May 5 by the North Kazakhstan Regional Akim (governor), Gauyez Nurmukhambetov.

"Valentina Arkhipovna joined the frontlines at the age of 19. She marched from the Volga to Berlin. She was awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, Second class, and numerous medals. Despite the hardships of war, Valentina Arkhipovna remained cheerful, strong, and full of light. This year, she celebrated her 103rd birthday, inspiring everyone around her with her spirit. Eternal memory to a true Hero," the regional head wrote on social media.

Valentina Arkhipovna was born in 1922 in the town of Kaharlyk, Kyiv Region, Ukraine. After finishing school, she went to Kyiv and enrolled at the Technological Institute of Light Industry. However, she didn’t study there for long, as the Great Patriotic War broke out.

She served in the 41st military bridge-building mechanized unit from October 1, 1941, to October 20, 1945, first as a filing clerk and later as an accountant in the financial settlement group. Throughout those years, her military unit worked on the frontlines of the Belarusian and Ukrainian fronts under enemy fire, building bridges and providing crossings for advancing troops.

"None of us knew when our last moment might come, so we thanked God for every moment given to us," Valentina Arkhipovna once recalled.

She spent Victory Day, May 9, 1945, in Berlin. Her unit then received new orders – to head to Japan.

Valentina Arkhipovna met her future husband, Yakov, during the war in the same unit. After the victory over Japan, they married in Irkutsk. Yakov continued to serve in the military, while Valentina demobilized in 1946 after learning she was expecting a child and returned to her parents.

The family moved across the Soviet Union and lived in various cities. In 1962, they settled in Tselinograd (now Astana). Yakov died in 1969. Valentina remained faithful to him for the rest of her life and devoted herself to raising their daughters. Until retirement, she worked as an accountant at a ceramics factory in Tselinograd. Later, she moved to Petropavlovsk.

In recent years, due to health reasons, the veteran rarely left her home. In May 2023, Valentina Volkodav expressed a desire to lay flowers at the Eternal Flame to pay tribute to all those who died in the war and the veterans who have passed away in peacetime.

Photo: Tengrinews.kz

That tribute was organized by the city’s veterans' council at the request of her and her family. It turned into a heartfelt celebration. Many people gathered at the Eternal Flame, with passersby stopping to congratulate and thank the veteran.

"I live with a smile and joy. I'm in love with life. Enjoy life! I wish everyone to live to 100 like I did. It's such a blessing to live!" Valentina Arkhipovna said at the time.

These moments were captured in March 2025 – on the day Valentina Arkhipovna celebrated her 103rd birthday. A military band performed under her window in honor of the veteran.

According to official data, only two WWII veterans remain in the North Kazakhstan region.

World War II veteran Petropavlovsk