Solzhenitsyn monument dismantled in central Vladivostok, to be moved to another square
In short
The monument to writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn in central Vladivostok was dismantled on 20 October. The city administration told several outlets it will be re-installed in the Vera and Nadezhda square. Two outlets quote a city source saying the work should be finished by the end of this week, while Kommersant says the city could not give a date.
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The monument to writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn in central Vladivostok has been dismantled, Kommersant, RIA Novosti and Interfax reported on 20 October. Kommersant said local Telegram channels posted a photo of the monument being moved by crane onto a truck. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The city administration said the monument will be re-installed in the Vera and Nadezhda square, which Interfax placed in the area of the 100th Anniversary of Vladivostok avenue. A city source told RIA Novosti and Interfax that installation work had begun and would be finished by the end of this week. Kommersant said the mayor's office press department could not give a date for installation at the new site. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The mayor's office said the sculpture is not a cultural heritage monument and was not installed by the municipality, but was later transferred into municipal ownership. It said a decision was taken to move it to the Vera and Nadezhda square as a more suitable place. RIA Novosti said the mayor's office earlier told it the move was due under a contract by 1 November. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The relocation was first announced in March. According to RIA Novosti and Interfax, the administration then said the original location had not been the best choice and that historians and local historians had criticised it, with Interfax adding that they objected that Solzhenitsyn arrived in Vladivostok by plane and that a place among warships was inappropriate. Interfax said work was then expected to be completed in summer. Kommersant said the mayor's office decided in March 2026 to move the monument on a proposal from the leadership of the Pacific Fleet and veterans, and that the sculpture was judged unsuitable to the theme of the memorials in the area. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
The monument was installed on the Korabelnaya Embankment on 5 September 2015, Interfax said. Kommersant said it was put up on the initiative of former mayor Igor Pushkarev. Interfax named the sculptor as Pyotr Chegodaev and said the writer's son Ermolai Solzhenitsyn attended the opening, and that the installation prompted debate on social media. [ 1 , 3 ]
In 2023 a resident of the Amur region, Andrei Guk according to Kommersant, filed a lawsuit seeking the monument's removal. RIA Novosti said he lived in Tynda. In his view, Solzhenitsyn is a disputed figure, and Kommersant said he argued the monument should not stand next to memorials to the military feats of people of Primorye. Interfax said Solzhenitsyn was in Vladivostok once, in transit in May 1994, returning to Russia from the United States. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Why it matters
The documents give no wider assessment of significance. They show the city administration carrying out a relocation it announced in March, after criticism of the monument's original site and a 2023 lawsuit seeking its removal.
Key facts
- The monument to Nobel Prize-winning writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn in central Vladivostok has been dismantled, according to Kommersant, RIA Novosti and Interfax. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The city administration said the monument will be moved to the Vera and Nadezhda square. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The administration said the sculpture is not a cultural heritage monument and was not installed by the municipality, though it was later transferred to municipal ownership. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The monument was installed on the Korabelnaya Embankment on 5 September 2015; the sculptor is Pyotr Chegodaev, according to Interfax. [ 3 ]
- In 2023 a resident of the Amur region filed a lawsuit seeking the monument's removal, arguing that Solzhenitsyn is a disputed figure. [ 1 , 2 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The Solzhenitsyn monument in central Vladivostok was dismantled on 20 October, according to the city administration quoted by RIA Novosti and Interfax and a mayor's office comment to Kommersant. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The monument is to be re-installed in the Vera and Nadezhda square. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The city administration said the sculpture is not a cultural heritage monument and was not installed by the municipality but was later transferred to it. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- When the monument will stand in its new place. RIA Novosti and Interfax quote a city source saying installation work has begun and will be completed by the end of this week, while Kommersant says the mayor's office could not specify the timing.
- Why the monument is being moved. Interfax and RIA Novosti cite city statements about criticism from historians and local historians of the original site among warships. Kommersant cites a proposal from Pacific Fleet leadership and veterans and says the sculpture was deemed unsuitable to the theme of the memorials nearby.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Kommersant published its report that the monument had been dismantled, citing photos from local Telegram channels and a mayor's office comment. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti published the city administration's statement that the monument was dismantled and installation at the new site had begun. [ 2 ]
- Interfax published the city press service's statement that the work would be completed by the end of the week. [ 3 ]