October 12, 2025

Immortalizing a Modern Hero?


Immortalizing a Modern Hero?
The planned monument. Note the glorious rays streaming from the sky. Telegram, Alexander Khinshtein.

On October 10, Kursk Region Governor Alexander Khinshtein announced via Telegram plans for a new monument to honor a new Hero of Russia: Sergei Chebnev. The monument represents an effort to immortalize the veterans and casualties of Russia's ongoing War on Ukraine.

The planned monument would stand on a reservoir embankment and would depict Chebnev with modern military equipment. According to state-run media, his representation will "embody genuine heroism and loyalty to the Motherland." Work is underway to prepare the site.

Chebnev was an lieutenant colonel killed in August 2024 while leading the defense of a bridgehead near Sudzha, during the Kursk counteroffensive. According to Kremlin narratives, Chebnev's leadership delayed Ukrainian forces long enough for Russian reinforcements to arrive.

Chebnev's action earned him the title of Hero of Russia, bestowed posthumously to his wife by President Putin himself.

The immortalization of Chebnev has sharp parallels with retellings of Russian history. Specifically, narratives of the Second World War focus on the sacrifice of veterans, creating a veneer of sacredness around those who experienced the conflict.

The new monument fits squarely into this effort, and others, to hold up those at the frontlines of Russia's war in Ukraine as role models for other Russians.

 

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