Duplicate of the battle flag of legendary 72th Guards Rifle Division will be shown in cities of Kazakhstan (PHOTO)

"The relay started in Astana on February 3. The same day the duplicate of the battle flag began its journey across the country. The first stop is the city of Karaganda. The division was dispatched here after its formation in December 15, 1941 in Akmolinsk. Within 92 days the memorabilia will cover a distance of more than 10 thousand kilometers and visit 25 cities across Kazakhstan", said Deputy Chief of the National Guard, Colonel Muhametkali Satov at the solemn ritual in the city of Karaganda. He noted that the event is dedicated to the 70th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War and is aimed at patriotic education of youth. From Karaganda the combat shrine will head to Akmola region, and then to the southern area of Kazakhstan. It is planned that on May 5 the flag will return to Astana, and on 7 May, the Day of Defender of the Fatherland. It should be noted that the original battle flag of the 72th Guards Rifle Division is for permanent storage in the Central Museum of the Armed Forces of Russia. At the request of the NGO "Union of veterans and invalids of war in Afghanistan", the Russian side have made a duplicate and in November 2014 passed it to the Kazakh delegation. January 10, 2015 the memorabilia was transferred for permanent storage to the Metropolitan Museum of operational unit of the National Guard. March 1, 1943 the 29th Infantry Division was reorganized into the 72 th Guards Rifle Division. The division passed the way from Stalingrad to Prague. During the Great Patriotic War, more than 18,000 soldiers and officers of the division were awarded orders and medals, 31 of them were awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union.