Official Statement of MND
05th November 2025
Inauguration of a monument commemorating the Russian soldiers who participated in the demining operation of French colonialism left over mines
On the occasion of the 71st anniversary of the outbreak of 1st November 1954 Glorious Revolution, and in tribute to Algerian-Russian strategic relations depth, a monument commemorating the Russian soldiers who participated in the cleaning up operation of the mines left over from French colonialism was inaugurated today, Wednesday, 5th October 2025, in the locality of El Aïoun in El-Kala, in the border wilaya of El Tarf.
Mr. Saïd SAYOUD, Minister of the Interior, Local Authorities, and Transport, accompanied by Major General Noureddine HAMBLI, Commander of the 5th Military Region, supervised the inauguration ceremony of this monument in the presence of the wali of El Tarf wilaya, the Major General, Director of Information and Communication of People's National Army General Staff, the retired Colonel Andrei PAVLENKO, a former Russian sapper-deminer and his wife. The ceremony was also attended by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Algeria, the Military, Naval, and Air Attaché at the Russian Embassy in Algeria, the Chief of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, officials from the Russian Federation in Algeria, members of the revolutionary family, and civilian and military officials.
It should be noted that the retired Colonel Andrei Pavlenko was the deputy commander of a Russian engineering unit responsible for demining the French colonialism left over mines along the eastern and western borders of the country between 1962 and 1965. These Russian units also contributed to the training of Algerian military personnel in demining techniques, who then continued this mission.
This monument is erected as a memorial for loyalty and recognition to these heroes who stood with independent Algeria and contributed, alongside the People's National Army units, to clean up the border region from the colonialism leftovers.
Mr. Saïd SAYOUD, Minister of the Interior, Local Authorities, and Transport, accompanied by Major General Noureddine HAMBLI, Commander of the 5th Military Region, supervised the inauguration ceremony of this monument in the presence of the wali of El Tarf wilaya, the Major General, Director of Information and Communication of People's National Army General Staff, the retired Colonel Andrei PAVLENKO, a former Russian sapper-deminer and his wife. The ceremony was also attended by the Ambassador of the Russian Federation to Algeria, the Military, Naval, and Air Attaché at the Russian Embassy in Algeria, the Chief of the Russian Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, officials from the Russian Federation in Algeria, members of the revolutionary family, and civilian and military officials.
It should be noted that the retired Colonel Andrei Pavlenko was the deputy commander of a Russian engineering unit responsible for demining the French colonialism left over mines along the eastern and western borders of the country between 1962 and 1965. These Russian units also contributed to the training of Algerian military personnel in demining techniques, who then continued this mission.
This monument is erected as a memorial for loyalty and recognition to these heroes who stood with independent Algeria and contributed, alongside the People's National Army units, to clean up the border region from the colonialism leftovers.
