ЛЕОНИД БРЕЖНЕВ ОТКРЫВАЕТ МУЗЕЙ ВОВ В КИЕВЕ — 9 мая 1981

LEONID BREZHNEV OPENS THE GREAT PATRIOTIC WAR MUSEUM IN KYIV May 9, 1981 Documentary excerpts    • ЛЕОНИД  БРЕЖНЕВ ОТКРЫВАЕТ МУЗЕЙ ВОВ В КИЕВ...   !!!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR DONATIONS - dzen.ru/pivnenko?donate=true After the opening of the memorial complex to the heroes of the Battle of Stalingrad on Mamayev Kurgan in Volgograd in 1967, its creator, the distinguished Soviet sculptor Yevgeny Vuchetich, began designing the Museum of the History of the Great Patriotic War in Kyiv in 1972. Together with a group of architects and sculptors, he worked on sketches and simultaneously searched for a site for the memorial. According to the designer's plan, the complex was to occupy an area of ​​at least 10 hectares. Petr Tronko, Deputy Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR, assisted Yevgeny Viktorovich in his search for a suitable site. After numerous trips around Kyiv, we agreed that nothing could be more picturesque than the Pechersk hills cascading down to the Dnieper: the majestic "Motherland" sculpture and the chalice with the eternal flame would be visible from afar. Maria Orlyk, Deputy Chairperson of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR from 1978 to 1990, recounts: "I was tasked with demonstrating to the members of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine a model of the museum, with its reference to the Dnieper slopes." By that time, I was already overseeing the construction of the memorial complex. This doesn't mean I was responsible for everything. For example, the construction work was overseen by Oleksiy Titarenko, Second Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine. Oleksiy Antonovich was responsible for the entire construction sector of the republic, and primarily for Kyiv. He was a very tough man. During the briefings that the Central Committee Secretary regularly held at the site, many were given a hard time, but the work schedule was strictly adhered to. I showed the Politburo members a model of the museum complex on the slopes of the Dnieper. I described the future "Motherland" monument, the chalice with the eternal flame, and the sculptures dedicated to the occupation period, the partisan movement, and the liberation of Kyiv. Everyone listened attentively, and Vladimir Vasilyevich Shcherbitsky said, "Go ahead! We'll see what happens." Construction began soon after, and the museum opened three years later. The sculptor, Yevgeny Vuchetich, died in 1974, before construction began. He was 65 years old. Vuchetich went to the front in the first days of the war as a private machine gunner. He rose to the rank of machine gun battalion commander. After being seriously wounded and suffering a concussion, he spent a long time recovering in the hospital. Naturally, he knew firsthand about the heroism of Soviet soldiers. That's why other artists were not even considered for the Kyiv memorial. Yevgeny Viktorovich managed to develop sketches, personally submit the project for approval, and decide on a construction site. After his death, Vasily Borodai became the complex's chief sculptor. And another fact: the 62-meter-tall "Motherland" is 12 meters shorter than the Great Lavra Bell Tower in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra complex. We were very pleased and proud that everyone liked the complex. However, there was quite a stir before the opening. The fact is that portraits of Heroes of the Soviet Union with ties to Ukraine were hung on the walls of the Hall of Fame. Among them was a portrait of our fellow countryman, General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, three-time Hero of the Soviet Union Leonid Ilyich Brezhnev. Everything was ready for the opening, when suddenly, on the eve of May 9, we learned that Leonid Ilyich had been awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union once again, along with a fourth Gold Star. Meanwhile, his portrait, hanging under the ceiling in our exhibition, only has three. So, on the last night before the opening, our artists worked feverishly to add another Gold Star to Brezhnev's portrait. (Based on materials from https://livejournal.com) #history #journalism #npivnenko #chronicle #brezhnev #leonidbrezhnev #ussr #kyiv #npivnenko #ww2 #victory ©PK-Nikolay Pivnenko-2025