In 1916, Russian forces swept into modern-day Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan to enlist Central Asians to fight for Russia in World War I. The Russians killed an estimated 15,000 people who resisted, and some 100,000 more people died trying to flee to China. More than a century later, the episode still isn’t talked about much because of pressure from Russia to literally erase it from the history books. Levi Bridges reports from Kyrgyzstan on what it means to remember this painful passage in the country today.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.