Mirziyoyev’s relative killed more than 20 Wehrmacht soldiers – TASS

A cousin of Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Soviet Union Hero Urinbek Yakubov, killed more than 20 soldiers and officers while crossing the Oder River and helped repel seven Wehrmacht counterattacks. This was stated in archival documents reviewed by TASS.

According to the documents, Yakubov served as commander of a mortar crew in the mortar company of the 248th Rifle Regiment of the 31st Rifle Division. In February 1944, he was awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union for using mortar fire to help repel 15 counterattacks over three days during the crossing of the Dnieper River.

In April 1945, Yakubov was awarded the Order of the Red Star. The award sheet stated:

“On January 24, 1945, while crossing the Oder River west of the village of Steine, comrade Yakubov supported rifle units with his mortars, helping them cross the river over the ice and capture a bridgehead. After moving his mortars to the western bank behind the rifle units, Yakubov helped the infantry repel seven fierce enemy counterattacks over two days. In these battles, he destroyed two enemy firing points and more than 20 enemy soldiers and officers with mortar fire.”

Urinbek Yakubov was also awarded the Medal for Courage and the Medal for the Defense of the Caucasus.

For reference, the Wehrmacht was the official name of Nazi Germany’s armed forces from 1935 to 1945. It was established in 1935 to replace the Reichswehr and served as Germany’s main military force during World War II. After Germany’s defeat in 1945, it was dissolved by the Allies.