Monument to the Deceased Internationalist Wars

The monument in honor of the fallen soldiers-internationalists was erected in Orenburg in 1989. It was the first monument in the Soviet Union that immortalized the memory of Orenburg soldiers and officers who fell in battles in Afghanistan. The initiators of its creation were veterans who first voiced the idea and received support from the public and local authorities.

After a competition was announced for the creation of the memorial project, sculptors from different cities began to offer their sketches. The winners of the competitive selection were the local team of authors - sculptor N. Petina, artist A. Yankin and architect P. Kantaev.

The monument consists of two reinforced concrete pylons lined with marble. According to the plan of the sculptors, they rise above the water surface of the granite bowl, which symbolizes maternal tears. In the very center of the composition is a symbolic “Handshake”, personifying friendly support and assistance to the people of Afghanistan. On the marble slabs carved the names of the heroes, the list of which was replenished in 2007, when the names of those killed in other hot spots of soldiers were engraved. In total, the memorial immortalized the names of 439 people, including four Heroes of Russia, who received this title posthumously.