Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Kyiv)
The Memorial of Eternal Glory (Ukrainian: Меморіал Вічної Слави) is a war memorial located in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, dedicated to soldiers of the Red Army who fought in the Second World War. It is situated inside the Park of Eternal Glory.[1] The memorial is a 27 meters high obelisk, with an eternal flame burning at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Ukrainian: Могила невідомого солдата). The Alley of Heroes leads to the tomb.[2]
Overview
The tomb was opened on 6 November 1957, on the eve of the ruby jubilee of the October Revolution.[3] On 8 May 1967, it was dedicated to the memory of all the unknown Ukrainian soldiers who gave their lives in the Liberation of Ukraine. International dignitaries such as U.S. President Richard Nixon,[4][5] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev,[6] Lithuanian Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius,[7] Russian President Vladimir Putin,[8] and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan[9] have visited and laid wreaths at the tomb. It is official protocol by the State Protocol Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for dignitaries on state visits to lay wreaths at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The British government has annually held Remembrance Day services at the tomb.[10]
Following Ukrainian decommunization laws came into effect in 2015, in 2025 the memorial was fixed to display 1939 as the true start of WW2 instead of the original 1941 design.[11]
Gallery
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The unknown soldier -
A Ukrainian Navy honor guard marching to the tomb. -
The eternal flame -
Dmitry Medvedev and Viktor Yanukovich at the tomb. -
The eternal flame at night.
See also
References
- ^ "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – Kyiv". wikimapia.org.
- ^ "Monument "Unknown Soldiers Grave" – information, events, map, reviews". kyivmaps.com.
- ^ "Національний музей історії України у Другій світовій війні". warmuseum.kiev.ua.
- ^ "Clip D378_38_306, from Dissolve". Dissolve.
- ^ Times, Robert B. Semple Jr Special to The New York (May 30, 1972). "Greeting in Kiev". The New York Times.
- ^ "Azerbaijani President visits Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Kiev". azertag.az. 28 October 2010. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
- ^ "Prime Minister Algirdas Butkevičius paid a tribute to victims at the Memorial in Commemoration of Famines' Victims in Ukraine and a Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (Kiev)". ministraspirmininkas.lrv.lt.
- ^ "President of Belarus Takes Part in Celebration of the 60th Anniversary of Liberation of Ukraine – Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Belarus". mfa.gov.by. Retrieved 2017-10-07.
- ^ "Turkish pm visits Tomb of Unknown Soldier in Kiev". www.aa.com.tr.
- ^ "Remembrance Day in Kyiv". GOV.UK.
- ^ "На Меморіалі вічної слави у Києві встановили цифри «1939». Це фактичний рік початку Другої світової". The Village Україна (in Ukrainian). 2025-03-15. Retrieved 2025-07-17.