Rzhev Memorial to the Soviet Soldier

The idea to build the memorial came from veterans of the war who collectively wrote to the Committee of the Union State of Russia and Belarus and to scouts of the Russian Military Historical Society (RMHS) in 2017 asking them to create a monument in honor of the diamond jubilee of the victory.

[1] Andrei Korobtsov and Konstantin Fomin were the respective sculptor and architect for the project, both being chosen following an international competition that looked into the matter.

[2] Despite being completed in time for the anniversary celebrations on 9 May, it was decided, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, that the opening date would be pushed a month later.

On the road leading to the mound, there are images of soldiers on broken walls situated on both sides, as well as the names of those who were killed in action during the battle.

[8] The image of a soldier dissolving in a flock of birds originates from the poem Zhuravli by Rasul Gamzatov, which became iconic thanks to its adaptation to music by Yan Frenkel.