A memorial complex for local residents killed in the war in Ukraine was ceremonially opened in Nizhnekamsk, Republic of Tatarstan, at Victory Square near the Eternal Flame. The opening was timed to coincide with the city’s 60th anniversary, and according to photos from the ceremony, the Radio Liberty project “Idel.Realii” counted 519 names on the granite slabs, Radio Liberty reports.
The ceremony was attended by Tatarstan Prime Minister Alexey Pesoshin, Nizhnekamsk Mayor Radmir Belyaev, a representative of the Nizhnekamsk District Public Council, Artur Barabanov, and relatives of the fallen servicemen. Belyaev said: “Indeed, today very significant events are taking place in our city. As we agreed, we are opening a memorial complex together in memory of our heroes, of our fellow countrymen. Every resident of Nizhnekamsk should know by surname, by name, those who gave us the opportunity today to gather here under a blue, clear sky, celebrate the city’s 60th anniversary, take children to schools and kindergartens, work, and engage in peaceful affairs”.
The complex includes a granite stele, a wall of memory with engraved names, and a bronze sculpture of two servicemen — a tactical “pair”. The composition was created by sculptor Artur Davydov, a member of the artists’ unions of Russia and Tatarstan. According to local publications, the project cost 50 million rubles; the money, as stated, was raised by city enterprises, small businesses, veterans’ organizations, and residents, and part was funded by the municipality. The idea for the memorial was announced back in 2023 by former Nizhnekamsk head Ramil Mullin, and the site was later moved from the location near the monument to veterans of the war in Afghanistan to Victory Square.
In the analysis of the lists on the monument, 23 names are listed for 2022, 94 for 2023, 177 for 2025, and 44 for 2026; by these counts, the peak of officially recognized losses on the memorial fell in 2024 and 2025. “Mediazona”, which keeps a name-by-name record of the dead together with the BBC Russian Service and a team of volunteers, confirms the deaths of 476 natives of Nizhnekamsk. The Telegram channel “Those Killed from Tatarstan” already has 701 entries with the names of Nizhnekamsk residents, and in its own monitoring, “Idel.Realii” has confirmed the deaths of 10,204 residents of Tatarstan and 61,236 killed across the Volga region.
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