Soviet war memorials are memorials commemorating the activities of

Soviet Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, also known as the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union, the Red Army (1918–1946) and the Soviet Army (1946–1991), were the armed forces of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republi ...

in any of the wars involving Soviet Union, but most notably

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 ...

. After the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

and the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

, many of the memorials, especially the ones dedicated to the activities of Soviet Armed Forces in former

Soviet Bloc The Eastern Bloc, also known as the Communist Bloc (Combloc), the Socialist Bloc, the Workers Bloc, and the Soviet Bloc, was an unofficial coalition of communist states of Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America that were a ...

countries during

, have been removed, relocated, altered or have had their meaning reinterpreted (such as the

Liberty Statue The Statue of Liberty is a colossal statue in New York Harbor, New York City, United States. The Statue of Liberty may also refer to: Other statues * Liberty Statue (Budapest), ''Liberty Statue'' (Budapest), a monument on the Gellért Hill in Buda ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

Austria

Soviet War Memorial (Vienna) The Soviet War Memorial in Vienna, Austria, more formally known as the Heroes' Monument of the Red Army (), is located at Vienna's Schwarzenbergplatz. The semi-circular white marble colonnade partially enclosing a twelve-metre figure of a Sovi ...

* * Soviet War Graves at Zentralfriedhof (Vienna)

Belarus

Minsk Hero City Obelisk Minsk Hero City Obelisk is a 45 meters tall monument in the shape of an obelisk located on Victors Avenue in Minsk, Belarus. The Obelisk is dedicated to the fact that Minsk was declared a Hero City on 26 June 1974 for its people's bravery during t ...

Victory Square, Minsk Victory Square (; ) is a square in Minsk, Belarus, located at the intersection of Independence Avenue (Minsk), Independence Avenue and Zakharau Street. The square is located in the historic centre of Minsk with the Museum of the 1st Congress of t ...

* Mound of Glory, Minsk * Brest Hero Fortress * Khatyn Memorial *

Victory Square (Vitebsk) Victory Square () is a square in Vitebsk, Belarus. It is currently the largest square in Belarus. It is situated on the bank of the Dvina River. During all the major public holidays (ex: Victory Day and Independence Day), parades and performance ...

Bulgaria

Alyosha Monument, Plovdiv Alyosha (an affectionate diminutive of Aleksey) is an tall reinforced concrete statue of a Soviet soldier on Bunarjik Hill in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. The statue tops a pedestal lined with granite. The memorial commemorates Soviet casualties incu ...

* Monument to the Soviet Army, Sofia * ,

Byala Slatina Byala Slatina ( ) is a town in Northwestern Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of ...

China

* *

Soviet Red Army Monument, Harbin The Soviet Red Army Monument, Harbin () is a national monument of China to the fallen Soviet Red Army soldiers who took part in the 1945 Soviet invasion of Manchuria during World War II which liberated Northeast China (Manchuria) from Japanese o ...

* ,

Shengyang Shenyang,; ; Mandarin pronunciation: ; formerly known as Fengtian formerly known by its Manchu name Mukden, is a sub-provincial city in China and the provincial capital of Liaoning province. It is the province's most populous city with a p ...

* Monument to the Soviet Army Martyrs in the

Czech Republic

* Monument to Soviet Tank Crews (first painted, later removed) *

Statue of Ivan Konev The statue of Ivan Konev () was a monument to Soviet general Ivan Konev that was erected in Prague in 1980. In the late 2010s, it became a subject of controversy within Czech Republic–Russia relations, resulting in its removal in 2020. Histor ...

(removed in 2020) * (removed in 1991) * * * * *

Germany

Soviet War Memorial (Treptower Park) The Soviet War Memorial () is a war memorial and military cemetery in Berlin's Treptower Park. It was built to the design of the Soviet Union, Soviet architect Yakov Belopolsky to commemorate 7,000 of the 80,000 Red Army soldiers who fell in t ...

, a memorial in Treptower Park, Berlin * , a memorial in Seelow Heights, Brandenburg *

Soviet War Memorial (Tiergarten) The Soviet War Memorial () is one of several war memorials in Berlin, the capital city of Germany, erected by the Soviet Union to commemorate its war dead, particularly the 80,000 soldiers of the Red Army, Soviet Armed Forces who died during th ...

, a memorial in Tiergarten, Berlin * Soviet War Memorial (Schönholzer Heide), a memorial in Schönholzer Heide, Berlin

Estonia

Bronze Soldier of Tallinn The Bronze Soldier (, ) is the informal name of a controversial Soviet World War II war memorial in Tallinn, Estonia, built at the site of several war graves, which were relocated to the nearby Tallinn Military Cemetery in 2007. It was originall ...

(relocated to Tallinn Military Cemetery in 2007) * (removed in 2022) * (removed in 2022) * (removed in 2022) *

Hungary

* Liberty Statue (Budapest), the Soviet inscription has been replaced *

Liberty Square (Budapest) Liberty Square (, ) is a public square located in the Lipótváros neighborhood of Budapest, Hungary. The square is a mix of business and residential. The United States Embassy in Hungary and the historicist style headquarters of the Hungarian N ...

* Hungarian-Soviet Friendship Memorial, now in

Memento Park Memento Park (Hungarian: ''Szoborpark'') is an open-air museum in Budapest, Hungary, dedicated to monumental statues and sculpted plaques from People's Republic of Hungary, Hungary's Communist period (1949–1989). There are statues of Vladimir L ...

* Soviet War Memorial (Debrecen)

Lithuania

Memorial of Red Army soldiers in

Antakalnis Cemetery Antakalnis Cemetery (, , ), sometimes referred as Antakalnis Military Cemetery, is an active cemetery in the Antakalnis district of Vilnius, Lithuania. It was established in 1809. Soldier burials 12 of the 14 victims of the Soviet attacks duri ...

Vilnius Vilnius ( , ) is the capital of and List of cities in Lithuania#Cities, largest city in Lithuania and the List of cities in the Baltic states by population, most-populous city in the Baltic states. The city's estimated January 2025 population w ...

(removed in 2022)

Latvia

Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders The Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders, unofficially known simply as the Victory Monument, was a memorial complex in Victory Park (Riga), Victory Park, Pārdaugava, Riga, Latvia, erected in 1985 ...

(removed in 2022) * * *

North Korea

* Liberation Monument,

Pyongyang Pyongyang () is the Capital city, capital and largest city of North Korea, where it is sometimes labeled as the "Capital of the Revolution" (). Pyongyang is located on the Taedong River about upstream from its mouth on the Yellow Sea. Accordi ...

Norway

* Monument to Red Army Liberators, Roald Amundsens gate, Kirkenes

Poland

After 2017, Poland's

Law and Justice Law and Justice ( , PiS) is a Right-wing populism, right-wing populist and National conservatism, national-conservative List of political parties in Poland, political party in Poland. The party is a member of European Conservatives and Refo ...

(PiS) government destroyed most of the Soviet War Memorials in Poland. * *

Monument to Brotherhood in Arms The Monument to Brotherhood in Arms () was erected in in Warsaw's Praga district, in 1945, to commemorate the joint fight of Polish and Soviet soldiers against Nazi Germany. In 2011, it was temporarily taken down during the construction of an un ...

Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

(removed in 2011) * (removed in 2018) * (removed in 2018) * (removed in 2022) * (removed in 2019) * (removed in 2022) * (removed in 2014) * (removed in 2018) * (removed in 2017) *

Soviet Military Cemetery, Warsaw The Mausoleum Cemetery of the Soviet Soldiers () in Warsaw, Poland, is the burial place of over 21,000 Soviet soldiers who died fighting against Nazi Germany. It is the largest Soviet war cemetery in Poland and contains one of the first major mon ...

Romania

Tajikistan

Victory Square, Bishkek Victory Square (Kyrgyz language, Kyrgyz: жеңиш чарчы, Russian language, Russian: Площадь победы) is a public square in the city of Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. It is dedicated to the Eastern Front (World War II), vic ...

Victory Park, Dushanbe Victory Park (; ) is a park in honor of the Great Patriotic War located in the mountainous part of Dushanbe in Tajikistan. The park was completed in 1985. Overview Victory Park is a favorite vacation for citizens. The park has a cafe which is o ...

Ukraine

Mother Ukraine ''Mother Ukraine'' or ''Statue of Liberty'' ( ) is a monumental Soviet-era statue in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The sculpture is a part of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. In 2023, the Soviet heraldry wa ...

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, ...

(modified in 2023) * Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Kyiv *

Hero City monument, Kyiv The Hero City monument (officially, the Obelisk in honor of the hero city of Kyiv, ) is a World War II memorial in Halytska Square in Kyiv, Ukraine. It is a obelisk that was erected in 1982, during the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. In its ...

(modified in 2023) * Afghanistan War Memorial, Kyiv *

Nikolai Vatutin monument The ''Nikolai Vatutin monument'' was a sculpture monument to Soviet military commander Nikolai Vatutin, erected in 1948 and located in Mariinskyi Park, Kyiv, Ukraine, that was dismantled on 9 February 2023.

, Kyiv (removed in 2023) * Monument to the Liberator Soldier, Kharkiv (destroyed in 2022) * Monument to the Unknown Sailor,

Odesa Odesa, also spelled Odessa, is the third most populous List of cities in Ukraine, city and List of hromadas of Ukraine, municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern ...

* Monument to Soldiers Liberators, Chernihiv * ''

To Donbas Liberators ''To Donbas Liberators'' () is a monument in Donetsk Culture and Leasure Park, Donetsk, dedicated to military units and formations participating in the ousting of Wehrmacht from Donbas during World War II. It is the largest monument in the south- ...

'',

Donetsk Donetsk ( , ; ; ), formerly known as Aleksandrovka, Yuzivka (or Hughesovka), Stalin, and Stalino, is an industrial city in eastern Ukraine located on the Kalmius River in Donetsk Oblast, which is currently occupied by Russia as the capita ...

Other

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Dzhugashvili; 5 March 1953) was a Soviet politician and revolutionary who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, his death in 1953. He held power as General Secret ...

is still quoted in stone in German and Russian at least in

Treptow Treptow () was a former borough in the southeast of Berlin. It merged with Köpenick to form Treptow-Köpenick in 2001. Geography The district was composed by the localities of Alt-Treptow, Plänterwald, Baumschulenweg, Niederschönewei ...

and

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

. Such inscriptions have been generally removed in Soviet Union and Soviet bloc countries as part of

de-Stalinization De-Stalinization () comprised a series of political reforms in the Soviet Union after Death and state funeral of Joseph Stalin, the death of long-time leader Joseph Stalin in 1953, and Khrushchev Thaw, the thaw brought about by ascension of Nik ...

. A Soviet war memorial was erected in Plummer Park,

West Hollywood, California West Hollywood is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Incorporated in 1984, it is home to the Sunset Strip. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. Census, its population was 35,757. History Most historical writing ...

in 2005. The memorial depicts cranes in flight, a reference to a popular Russian-language song by

Rasul Gamzatov Rasul Gamzatovich Gamzatov (, ; rus, Расу́л Гамза́тович Гамза́тов, p=rɐˈsul ɡɐmˈzatəvʲɪtɕ ɡɐmˈzatəf, a=Rasul Gamzatovich Gamzatov.ru.vorb.oga; 8 September 19233 November 2003) was a Soviet and Russian po ...

. A refrain from the song is shown in both English and Russian. A granite slab bares the inscription "dedicated in honor of and in tribute to the World War II veterans from the former Soviet Union" in English. West Hollywood is the center of a large Russian-speaking community from the former Soviet Union.

References

{{Reflist Soviet military memorials and cemeteries World War II memorials