Monument to the Warrior-liberator

Monument to the Liberator Warrior is a monument in the center of Kremenchuk in Oleg Babaev Square. It was opened on September 29, 1951.

History

Before the Second World War, there was a printing house on the site of the monument to the liberating warrior. After the liberation of the city on September 29, 1943, a red flag was raised over Kremenchuk over the ruins of the printing house in "Zhovtnevy" Square (now the Babaev Square). In the 50s, a square was built on the site.

At that time, after the end of the Second World War and the surrender of Japan, the Korean War began. On June 25, 1950, the North Korean army, armed and trained by Soviet instructors, launched an offensive against South Korea. Since the start of hostilities, a stand with a map of the Korean Peninsula appeared below the monument to the Liberation Warrior. Every day, a red ribbon marked the advance of North Korean troops to the south. By September 1950, North Korean troops almost completely occupied the peninsula. UN troops, mostly American, came to the aid of South Korea and launched a counteroffensive. Since the offensive of the UN troops began, the geographical map, which was made of chipboard or wood, disappeared and a quadrangular fence appeared.

A year later, on September 29, 1951, the monument to the Liberator was inaugurated. According to the idea of the sculptors, it should have been a warrior in a helmet, cloak-tent, with a machine gun and a flag in his hands. The sculpture should give the impression that a soldier has stepped onto a pedestal after many campaigns and has remained here forever. By order of the Kremenchug City Executive Committee, a 6-meter-high reinforced concrete monument was made at the Kharkiv Sculpture Plant.

For the 40th anniversary of the city's liberation, in 1983, a memorial plaque was installed on the monument's pedestal with the inscription:

In 1989, the monument to the Liberation Warrior acquired its modern appearance. A special fund was created in the city executive committee to collect funds for the renovation of the monument. After the restoration, he is not wearing a cloak-tent, but a warm overcoat, a flag and a machine gun he holds above his head. Memorial plaques appeared near the monument with cannon shell casings embedded in them. On the slabs there are lists of soldiers who died during the defense and liberation of the city, as well as the names of Kremenchug residents who died on the fronts of World War II.