The ''Nikolai Vatutin monument'' was a sculpture monument to Soviet military commander
Nikolai Vatutin
Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin (; 16 December 1901 – 15 April 1944) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander during World War II who was responsible for many Red Army operations in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR as th ...
, erected in 1948 and located in
Mariinskyi Park,
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
, that was dismantled on 9 February 2023.
[Mariinsky Park without Vatutin. The monument to the Soviet general was finally demolished]
Ukrainska Pravda – Zhyttia (9 February 2023)
History
Nikolai Vatutin
Nikolai Fyodorovich Vatutin (; 16 December 1901 – 15 April 1944) was a Soviet Union, Soviet military commander during World War II who was responsible for many Red Army operations in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian SSR as th ...
was a Russian military commander during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
who was responsible for many
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...
operations in the
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, abbreviated as the Ukrainian SSR, UkrSSR, and also known as Soviet Ukraine or just Ukraine, was one of the Republics of the Soviet Union, constituent republics of the Soviet Union from 1922 until 1991. ...
, including the
recapture of Kiev
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
(Kyiv) by the Red Army in 1943. On 28 February 1944, Vatutin was ambushed by
Ukrainian Insurgent Army
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist partisan formation founded by the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) on 14 October 1942. The UPA launched guerrilla warfare against Nazi Germany, the S ...
(UPA) insurgents far behind the front lines near the village of Mylyatyn in
Ostroh Raion
Ostroh Raion () was a raion in Rivne Oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center
An administrative centre is a seat of regional administration or local government, or a county town, or the place where the central administration of a c ...
(
Rivne Oblast
Rivne Oblast (), also referred to as Rivnenshchyna (), is an administrative divisions of Ukraine, oblast in western Ukraine. Its administrative center is Rivne. The surface area of the region is . Its population is:
Before its annexation by the ...
). He succumbed to
sepsis
Sepsis is a potentially life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs.
This initial stage of sepsis is followed by suppression of the immune system. Common signs and s ...
, caused by the injuries, in a hospital at Kiev on 15 April 1944.
Vatutin was buried in front of a statue depicting him near the
Ukrainian Parliament
The Verkhovna Rada ( ; VR), officially the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, is the unicameral parliament of Ukraine. It consists of 450 deputies presided over by a speaker. The Verkhovna Rada meets in the Verkhovna Rada building in Ukraine's capi ...
in
Kyiv
Kyiv, also Kiev, is the capital and most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city of Ukraine. Located in the north-central part of the country, it straddles both sides of the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2022, its population was 2, ...
's
Mariinskyi Park.
The monument was erected in 1948. It was designed by a prominent Soviet
sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
Yevgeny Vuchetich
Yevgeny Viktorovich Vuchetich (Russian: Евгений Викторович Вучетич; –12 April 1974) was a Soviet sculptor and artist. He is known for his heroic monuments, often of allegoric style, including ''The Motherland Calls'', t ...
.
[Minkultura recommends that Kyiv dismantle the Vatutin monument near the Verkhovna Rada]
Ukrainska Pravda
''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...
(27 January 2023) On the pedestal of the monument was written "To General Vatutin from the
Ukrainian people
Ukrainians (, ) are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine. Their native tongue is Ukrainian, and the majority adhere to Eastern Orthodoxy, forming the second largest ethno-linguistic community. At around 46 million worldwide, Ukr ...
."
In 2010, the
Kyiv City State Administration
Kyiv City State Administration (, commonly abbreviated as KMDA ) is the national-level branch of the Government of Ukraine that administers Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The current Head of the Kyiv City State Administration is Vitali Klitschko; ...
gave the monument the status of cultural heritage site.
In 2015, Vatutin's daughter Elena
[Vatutin's monument in Kyiv: to be or not to be a monument to a Soviet general?]
Radio Free Europe
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...
(9 May 2020) announced that her father had been buried in Kiev (now called Kyiv) by
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev (– 11 September 1971) was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964 and the Premier of the Soviet Union, Chai ...
against her family's wishes and that his surviving family lived in
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
and in the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, and that she would attempt to obtain permission to rebury him in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
. The primary reason was stated to be the family's dislike for the
new Ukrainian government's association with
Stepan Bandera
Stepan Andriyovych Bandera (, ; ; 1 January 1909 – 15 October 1959) was a Ukrainian far-right leader of the radical militant wing of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, the OUN-B.
Bandera was born in Austria-Hungary, in Galicia (Eas ...
, whose
Ukrainian Insurgent Army
The Ukrainian Insurgent Army (, abbreviated UPA) was a Ukrainian nationalist partisan formation founded by the Organisation of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) on 14 October 1942. The UPA launched guerrilla warfare against Nazi Germany, the S ...
followers had killed Vatutin. Originally, a press release from
A Just Russia — For Truth
A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes''.
It is similar in shape to the Ancient ...
had claimed that the initiative to move his body had come from the
Kyiv City State Administration
Kyiv City State Administration (, commonly abbreviated as KMDA ) is the national-level branch of the Government of Ukraine that administers Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The current Head of the Kyiv City State Administration is Vitali Klitschko; ...
.
Dispute Rages Over Soviet General's Grave In Ukraine
''Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty''. 11 April 2015. The reburial failed to materialize, and Vatutin's grave and monument remained in their place for the time being.
RIA Novosti
RIA Novosti (), sometimes referred to as RIAN () or RIA (), is a Russian state-owned domestic news agency. On 9 December 2013, by a decree of Vladimir Putin, it was liquidated and its assets and workforce were transferred to the newly created ...
(30 June 2016)
In November 2014, the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory
The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory (UINM, ), also translated as the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, is the central executive body operating under the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine. Established on 31 May 2006 as a special org ...
included Vatutin on the list of 'persons involved in the struggle against Ukraine's independence, the organization of famines
A famine is a widespread scarcity of food caused by several possible factors, including, but not limited to war, natural disasters, crop failure, widespread poverty, an economic catastrophe or government policies. This phenomenon is usuall ...
, and political repressions.' After the adoption of the Ukrainian decommunization laws
Ukrainian decommunization laws were passed in 2015, in the early stages of the Russo-Ukrainian War. These laws relate to decommunization as well as commemoration of Ukrainian history, and have been referred to as " memory laws". They outlawed the ...
in 2015, Vatutin was initially not included on the list of "persons subject to decommunization
Decommunization in former communist states is the process of purging former communist high officials and eliminating communist symbols.
It is sometimes referred to as political cleansing. Although the term has been occasionally used during t ...
."
Elena Vatutina died in 2016.
On 8 February 2023, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy
The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications (MCSC), known previously as Ministry of Culture and Information Policy (MCIP), is the main state authority in the system of central government of Ukraine responsible for ensuring the informatio ...
revoked the Vatutin monument in Mariinskyi Park of its (Ukrainian) cultural heritage site status.[Minkult allowed the dismantling of monuments to Chkalov and Vatutin in Kyiv: the first is already being demolished]
Ukrainska Pravda
''Ukrainska Pravda'' is a Ukrainian socio-political online media outlet founded by Heorhii Gongadze in April 2000. After Gongadze’s death in September 2000, the editorial team was led by co-founder Olena Prytula, who remained the editor-in ...
(8 February 2023) On 27 January 2023, the ministry had proposed the Kyiv City State Administration to dismantle and move the monument. One suggestion was to store it in the National Museum-Preserve "Battle for Kyiv 1943"
The National Museum-Preserve of Ukrainian military achievements, is a museum preserve dedicated to Ukrainian military achievements. The museum is located on the outskirts of the village of Novi Petrivtsi, Vyshhorod Raion of Kyiv Oblast, Ukraine. ...
.
The Kyiv City State Administration announced on 8 February 2023 that the Vatutin monument would be demolished the following day. The monument was removed on 9 February.[Mariinsky Park without Vatutin. The monument to the Soviet general was finally demolished]
Ukrainska Pravda – Zhyttia (9 February 2023)
On 11 November 2023 the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine
The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine (), commonly referred to as the Government of Ukraine (), is the highest body of state Executive (government), executive power in Ukraine. As the Cabinet of Ministers of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republi ...
removed the status of monument from the grave of Vatutin that was still existing at the feet of the then already removed monument in order to comply with 2023 derussification-laws.
Gallery
File:Пам'ятник генералу Ватутіну.jpg, The monument and its surroundings in November 2012
File:Київ - Грушевського Михайла вул. (Маріїнський парк) DSC 6647.JPG, The same place in July 2013
File:Могила військового діяча генерала армії Героя Радянського Союзу М. Ф. Ватутіна.jpg, The grave of Nikolai Vatutin laying at the feet of the monument in April 2016
File:Могила Ватутіна у Маріїнському парку.jpg, The same place in June 2016
File:Могила військового діяча генерала Ватутіна IMG 2835.jpg, The grave of Nikolai Vatutin on 10 May 2019
File:Vatutin`s tombstone.JPG, Vatutin's tombstone in August 2007
See also
*Demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine
The demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine began during the collapse of the Soviet Union and continued on a smaller scale throughout the 1990s, primarily in some western towns of Ukraine. However, by 2013, most Lenin statues acros ...
*Demolition of monuments to Alexander Pushkin in Ukraine
The De-commemoration, demolition of monuments dedicated to Russian poet and playwright Alexander Pushkin in Ukraine started during the Russo-Ukrainian War. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it has become a widespread phenomenon and du ...
Notes
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vatutin monument in Kyiv
Demolished buildings and structures in Kyiv
History of Kyiv
Monuments and memorials in Kyiv
Statues in Ukraine
Destroyed sculptures
1948 sculptures
Russians in Ukraine
Sculptures of men in the Soviet Union
Buildings and structures demolished in 2023
Vandalized works of art in Ukraine
Decommunization in Ukraine
Outdoor sculptures in Kyiv
1948 establishments in Ukraine
2023 disestablishments in Ukraine
Sculptures of men in Ukraine
Vatutin
Burials at Mariinsky Park