"Vietnamese flag" and rap: the Victory Memorial in Yaranse was rated by a military historian

      The composition has several not strict, but still noticeable, objections, believes a military historian. The yellow-colored stars, in principle, if they embody the Medal of the Hero of the Soviet Union as conceived by the authors, and it is gold-colored, may be appropriate.

      "But I didn't understand one point: if you look at the composition from the front, it gives the impression that the stars are 'pinned' upside down. After all, in the case of a star, the 'head' refers to its apex. That's incorrect. But this is only if the photograph reflects reality; if not, the question is moot," notes the interlocutor.

      Returning to the discussion of color, Nikolai Parchitko advises not to reinvent the wheel but to refer to well-known memorials, for example, the "Unknown Soldier's Mound" in Moscow, in Alexander Garden near Red Square. The memorial is made of dark red quartzite (Shokshinsky stone), on which a bronze composition rests. The color scheme is carefully designed and executed in a strict style, dominated by red, bronze, and scarlet, creating a visual triad of memory: sacrifice, eternity, hope. The memorial is concise but emotional, thanks to the contrast of dark and "burning" shades.

      The interlocutor also focused separately on the memorial complex in Yaran, where WWII heroes are depicted.

      "The red background and the yellow star on it, sorry, immediately evoke the flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam," comments Nikolai Parchitko.

      "When you come to a Soviet monument, there should be appropriate associations, especially when it comes to the Great Patriotic War," the expert notes. He adds: "It creates the impression that the project was drawn in a graphic editor from the early 2000s."

      Another flaw is the inscription "Glory to the heroes." "Especially in connection with the current political situation, it directly and unattractively recalls the modern recitation, which quite clearly alludes to events in Ukraine. But even if you overlook that, it is not quite correct in Russian. In the traditional approach to creating most such memorials, a third word should be added. For example, 'Eternal Glory to the Heroes,' 'Eternal Memory of the Heroes.' But the most reasonable would be to use a toponym that emphasizes the geographical affiliation — the district, city, region, or district, etc. For example, the famous monument 'Glory to the Heroes of Stalingrad,'" explains the expert.

      He also pointed out that it would be good to add dates. "One can say that the memorial creates a sense of incompleteness, and in some way — it seems provocative," notes the interlocutor.

      "I liked the torch; the sculpture (statues — ed.) is good, without gross errors," summed up the specialist and recommended referring to already created compositions, such as, for example, the "Cranes" memorial in Saratov. "I always advocate for such monuments to exist, but they must be created competently, ideologically sound, and not just as a formality," emphasizes Nikolai Parchitko. "There is a tradition, not a formal approach."