In Mogilev, the Soviet T-34 tank was returned to its old place after 30 years
In the mid-1990s, due to the construction of a transport interchange, Victory Square was eliminated, and the monument-tank was removed. Thirty years later, the combat vehicle is being returned to its historical place after restoration.
Installation of the T-34 tank on a new pedestal. Photo: mogilevnews.by
The T-34-85 tank appeared in Mogilev in 1967 in honor of the Soviet soldiers of the 2nd Belarusian Front. It was installed in the city center, on what was then Victory Square, at the intersection of Mira Avenue and Cosmonauts Street.
Interestingly, at that time, the machine was still operational: a local welder, Vasily Buga, drove it onto the pedestal himself via an earthen ramp, and then welded the tracks to the pedestal.
In the mid-1990s, when the city began a large-scale reconstruction of its transport hub and the construction of a new overpass, Victory Square effectively disappeared. In 1995, the tank was removed. After a brief period "in storage" at a military unit in Pashkovo, the machine was moved 600 meters northwest to the intersection of Yakubovskogo and Surganova streets. The monument stood there for almost thirty years, becoming a well-known landmark for Mogilev residents: "let's meet by the tank" was understood by everyone.
Victory Square with the monument-tank on a 1976 postcard.
Victory Square with the monument-tank in Soviet times.
Installation of the tank in its new location at the corner of Yakubovskogo and Surganova streets in the 1990s. Photo: Mogilev Live
In early June 2026, the city authorities decided to return the monument to its historical location. The reason for this was another large-scale reconstruction of the intersection of Mira Avenue with Cosmonauts and Yakubovskogo streets. An inner-city ring road is currently being built at this location, planned for completion by 2028. It will directly connect Koroleva Street with Cosmonauts Street and will serve as a bypass for the city center. As part of the project, a new transport interchange with two overpasses and underpasses is being built, into which the old monument was decided to be organically integrated.
Empty pedestal at the corner of Yakubovskogo and Surganova streets. Photo: Yandex Maps
Tank restoration. Photo: Mogilev Television and Radio Company
The tank was removed from its pedestal and sent for extensive restoration to military unit 63615. Soldiers cleaned the hull of old paint and corrosion, restored the track belt, and partially the rubber band.
Historians from the search club 'Vikkru' acted as consultants. They proposed applying a new hull number — '7' — to the turret. It was under this very number that a real tank of the 43rd Separate Guards Tank Brigade, which participated in the liberation of Mogilev in June 1944, went into battle.
However, local historians note a historical paradox: the Mogilev monument itself could not physically have liberated the city in the summer of 1944. This particular machine was produced in Nizhny Tagil after the end of the war in Europe — in the second half of 1945.
On June 19, the restored T-34 was installed on a new pedestal at its historical location. Almost. Observant citizens have already noticed that the pedestal's location has shifted slightly to the north, as has the orientation of the combat vehicle. While before 1995 the tank's barrel faced northwest (towards the 'humpback' bridge), now the gun is aimed strictly to the west.
The official opening of the new transport interchange with the returned monument is scheduled for the end of June.
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