ASU News

The Adyghe University Publishing House showcased a children's book at the Moscow International Book Fair, highlighting the life and heroism of Khusen Andrukhaev. He was the first Soviet writer and the first Adyghe to be awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War. This is the first children's book to present, through illustrated stories, his childhood, youth, and heroic deeds.

The book "Khusen Andrukhaev" was published as part of a special series by the publishing house "Children's Literature from Adygea". Writers Leila Kurashinova, Sultan Siyukhov, and artist Ekaterina Nesvetailo contributed to its creation.

The presentation titled "Immortal Feat in Drawings" was held as part of the Moscow International Book Fair. Fatima Tlyusten, director of the Adyghe University Publishing House, and Leyla Kurashinova, the author and editor of the same publishing house, introduced the book “Khusen Andrukhaev” to readers and experts. Sultan Siyukhov, Ekaterina Nesvetailo, and Khusen Andrukhaev's grandniece, ASU professor Aminat Khuazheva, addressed the audience with a video message.

Khusen Andrukhaev is an iconic figure not only for Adygea. His feat went down in history as one of the most heroic episodes of the Great Patriotic War. On November 8, 1941, in a fierce battle on the outskirts of the village of Dyakovo near Lugansk, he blew himself up with a bunch of anti-tank grenades along with dozens of fascists who surrounded him, uttering the famous phrase: "Russians do not surrender!" The feat of the Adyghe poet inspired the Red Army soldiers during the Great Patriotic War and serves as an example of fortitude and selfless service to the Motherland for fighters today - the Maykop third artillery division, which carries out combat missions in the SVO zone as part of the legendary 227th artillery brigade, bears the name of Khusen Andrukhaev.

- “We wanted to present the story of Khusen Andrukhaev in a way that would be close and understandable to children. To tell what kind of family he grew up in, what kind of child he was, and how the environment and traditions of the Adyghe people in which he was raised formed the personality of the hero. And we chose the format of drawn stories, which is now popular among children and young people,” - said Leila Kurashinova.

The publishing house of Adyghe University was established in October 2023, based on the publishing and printing center of Adyghe State University. Since 2024, it has been a member of the Association of Book Publishers of Russia (ASKI). Annually, the publishing house releases approximately fifty titles, including scientific, educational, pedagogical, methodological, fiction, and children's literature. Its books are available in regional bookstores and on Litres, one of Russia's largest electronic and audiobook platforms.