MOSCOW, 14 May (BelTA) – Russia will built a monument to the Soviet soldier timed to the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War which will be bigger that the ones in German Treptower Park and Bulgarian Plovdiv. State Secretary of the Union State Grigory Rapota has studied the project as he visited sculptor Andrei Korobtsov's workshop on 14 May, BelTA has learned.
The memorial complex to commemorate all soldiers of the Great Patriotic War will be set up at the site of fierce battles near Russia's city of Rzhev, Tver Oblast. A 25-meter bronze statue of a soldier floating above the battlefield will be installed at a 10-meter high hill. This concept was proposed by sculptor Andrei Korobtsov and architect Konstantiv Fomin and won the open international contest which had run till May.
The idea to build such a memorial was suggested by the Great Patriotic War veterans. The project is implemented by the Russian Military Historical Society with support of the Belarus-Russia Union State which will contribute RUB200 million to the RUB650 million project. The rest of the sum will be financed by people's donations. The project has already received RUB265 million in donations.
“Victory in the battle of Rzhev belongs to all Soviet nations, including Belarusians. This is why the Belarusian president and government have not hesitated to provide financial support to the Rzhev memorial project,” Grigory Rapota noted.
During the visit, Grigory Rapota got an opportunity to look at the full-scale statue made from soft material. Plans are in place to start casting the bronze sculpture in September. Grigory Rapota pointed out that the work is carried out ahead of the schedule.
The state secretary was accompanied by a large group of Belarusian and Russian journalists. The Union State Standing Committee with assistance of the Belarusian National Press Center and the Rossiya Segodnya new agency has organized a themed press tour which departed from the workshop. Media representatives will visit the site of the future Rzhev monument and the Kalinin Front Museum, take part in a round table on the memorial and the annual search expedition. Journalists will also visit cultural sites of Tver Oblast.
