The Russian Consulate General in Alma Ata announced on March 29 that Vasily Ivanovich Zinchenko, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War who participated in capturing German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus during the Battle of Stalingrad, died on March 28 at age 102 in Alma Ata.
In its statement, the consulate noted: “It is with deep regret that Vasily Ivanovich Zinchenko, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War, died on March 28 of this year at the age of 102 in Alma Ata.”
According to reports, Zinchenko joined the Red Army as a volunteer when he was 17 years old. During the Battle of Stalingrad, he captured German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus in a group of reconnaissance soldiers. He later participated in the liberation of Ukraine, Belarus, and Poland.
The veteran celebrated Victory Day on May 9, 1945, in Berlin. During World War II, he was awarded the Order of the Red Star, the Patriotic War II degree, and the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad.”
