The sculptural composition Soldiers with Bell was set up on granite pedestal in Volgograd on January 20.

      This monument commemorates Volgograd dwellers that were lost or went missing in the war in Afghanistan.

      February 15 will see the unveiling ceremony and mark the 26th anniversary since the day when the Soviet troops were withdrawn from Afghanistan.

      Until now Volgograd was nearly the only regional center without any monument to peacekeeping soldiers. Two years ago members of the Volgograd unit of the Russian Union of Afghan War Veterans addressed the City Mayor’s Office with the initiative to erect the sculpture. The authorities approved it and the famous Volga sculptor Sergey Scherbakov undertook the project. 

      The composition consists of sculptures of of three grieving soldiers standing in a circle and holding a silent bell in their hands. They are surrounded with the halo of stars with the names of lost soldiers. Every star stands for one of the regions, which suffered losses in this war.