Monument to the Unknown Sailor
The Monument to the Unknown Sailor is a city memorial located at Shevchenko Park in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Odessa. It is part of the park's Alley of Glory, with the graves of fallen sailors on each side. An eternal flame is burning at foot of the monument.History
Construction of the monument began in the monument in 1957. The monument was erected on 9 May 1960 in honour of all Soviet sailors who during the defense of the city in the Odessa Operation of the Dnieper–Carpathian Offensive. The memorial consists of a 21-meter high obelisk of red granite. At the foot of the obelisk burns an eternal flame, immortalizing the memory of sailors of the Soviet Navy. In the alley are the graves of Heroes of the Soviet Union Mikhail Astashkin and Vitaliy Topolsky.
Presidents of Ukraine such as Petro Poroshenko have visited the memorial to honour the Liberation of Odessa. Navy delegations from countries like Italy and Russia have also visited the memorial as well. An honour guard composed of local cadets stands guard at the memorial mainly on public holidays and on ceremonial occasions. It has been in recent years been the focal point for nationalist and pro-Russian tensions, with a nationalist burning a Ribbon of Saint George at the monument in 2018 and in April 2019, a boy being found guilty of damaging the monument by breaking off a part of the bronze soldier.Gallery
