A "we are visiting Alyosha" selfie — Murmansk, Russia.

Alyosha is the diminutive form of "Aleksey" ... and is used in the context of "defender of man."

An eternal flame burns on the platform in front of Alyosha — Murmansk, Russia.

The pyramidal structure represents a flag at half mast — Alyosha ... Murmansk, Russia.

A small memorial on the grounds of Alyosha — Murmansk, Russia.

Lake Semyonovskoye & Church of the Savior on Waters ... from Alyosha.

Murmansk: Alyosha

July 13, 2019 in Russia ⋅ 🌧 43 °F

The next stop on our tour was “Alyosha” — the giant, 5,000-ton concrete soldier that greeted us from atop his hilltop perch as Nautica made its way down Kola Bay.

The monument, which Mui and I were familiar with from our 2014 visit to the city, is dedicated to the “Defenders of the Soviet Arctic during the Great Patriotic War.” Alyosha is facing towards the Valley of Glory, where “the fiercest fighting of the Arctic Campaign occurred when German invaders were turned back from the approaches of Murmansk in 1941.” Behind it is a pyramidal structure that represents a flag at half mast.Read more