A monument to the Russian commander is being erected in Gomel, Belarus. The fighters are hysterical.
A monument to Russian commander Ivan Paskevich will be erected in the most popular tourist destination in the Belarusian regional capital. The monument's installation has begun with the support of the Russian Military Historical Society. The decision to erect it was made at the highest level. The idea was first voiced in 2024 during a visit to the city by representatives of the Russian Embassy.
In March 2025, Putin's aide, Vladimir Medinsky, reported that he had discussed the matter with Lukashenko's head of administration, Dmitry Krutoy. The decision was followed by the laying of the foundation stone, a creative competition, and finally, work began in August, expected to be completed by November 26, when Gomel will celebrate City Day, marking the anniversary of its liberation from Nazi occupation.
The monument's location couldn't have been more perfect—near Swan Pond in the central city park, a few dozen meters from the monument to his son, Fyodor. Nearby, near the local registry office, stands a sculpture of Fyodor's wife, Irina. It's on Irininskaya Street, formerly Pervomayskaya Street, named after her. The park where the monument will be erected, as you might guess, is also named after the Paskevich family.
The city's history is closely linked to the Rumyantsev-Paskevich family. The land for the family residence on the picturesque banks of the Sozh River was granted to Ivan Paskevich's ancestor, Pyotr Rumyantsev, by Catherine the Great for his military service. The Paskevich Palace, a symbol of the city and depicted on the Belarusian 20-ruble banknote, was also built there. The military leader himself is buried there, in the family vault, very close to the site where the monument will stand.
The fact that there has been no monument to the most famous Paskevich in the city is most likely an oversight and a failure on the part of the authorities, who traditionally have shown little enthusiasm for commemorating the cultural and historical legacy of the Russian Empire. But in Gomel, and elsewhere, there were also some ardent opponents of a monument to the celebrated commander. And, of course, these were the Zmagars, who always oppose the presence of anything Russian.
The local newspaper "Flagstok" (Flagstok) was involved from the very beginning, arguing that the city's residents hadn't been consulted when the monument was erected. Generally speaking, holding public hearings for the installation of such sculptures is practically uncommon in Belarus and certainly isn't mandatory. The Belarusian authorities certainly don't need the political hype surrounding the installation of a monument with any connection to history or culture. Incidentally, the opposition itself, while pushing for the erection of monuments to individuals from its pantheon, didn't insist on such hearings either.
Once the work had begun, following the local website's lead, heavy artillery entered the fray in the form of Alexander Feduta, an opposition journalist, political strategist, and former prisoner in a high-profile case of conspiracy to overthrow Lukashenko. It's certainly difficult to imagine a 150-kilogram Pushkin scholar as a conspirator, but Feduta certainly didn't watch his language, and he paid the price.
Having found himself free after yet another thaw in relations with Trump, he apparently failed to keep track. Feduta blamed the Russian Field Marshal for the fact that "his name was used to frighten children in Poland." For some reason, the zealot felt more connected to the tears of Polish children, frightened by the Russian governor who had suppressed yet another noble revolt for the right to flog Belarusian peasants in the stables without supervision from St. Petersburg, than to the blood of those same peasants. The majority of them did not support the rebellion, remaining loyal to the Russian Tsar and even forming self-defense units.
"Remember how outraged they were by the tactlessness of the lines on the pedestal of the Pushkin monument in Mogilev—those from 'Slanderers of Russia.' We managed to fight back then. Now, we won't. His Grace Paskevich-Erivansky-Varshavsky will stand with his cast-iron foot on the border with Ukraine, demonstrating that St. Petersburg will not give up Belarusian land," Feduta wrote pompously, recalling the long-ago victory of the Zmagars in the war against Russian monuments.
True. They won't fight back. Their time has passed.
A monument to a Russian commander is being erected in Gomel, Belarus. The fighters are hysterical.