The story of a park in Yakutsk: from a pacifist idea to the installation of tanks
Five years ago, a decision was made to build a Victory Park in Yakutsk. Its designers conceived it as a pacifist project. "We want you to understand the price of victory when you visit our park," the designers said. In 2022, "Patriot Alley" opened here, featuring 12 pieces of military equipment. But the trees and lighting, which cost several million rubles, are still missing.
"We cannot repeat the events of past years."
Victory Park in Yakutsk was founded during the tenure of Sardana Avksentyeva, now a State Duma deputy. It is located on the outskirts of the city, along the road from the airport to the city center. According to some reports, the construction of a public space in this location is connected to the opening of the Urasa Mall shopping center. This building had been vacant for many years due to its unfavorable location. In 2020, businessman and republican parliament member Viktor Fedorov purchased it and opened the shopping center. He also initiated the construction of the park near the future Urasa Mall.
Viktor Fedorov became the project's main public face on behalf of the authorities. A commission he chaired selected the best park design, which was presented at public hearings in September 2019.
"We want you to feel, when you visit our park, that this victory was achieved by people just like you and me, to understand the price we paid for it, and to understand that we must never repeat the events of past years," said Jamila Fedorova and Nurgun Ismatov of the Start Design Bureau, the authors of the Victory Park concept.
The park's concept was formed around soldiers' letters—"triangles." These letters, filled with hope for a swift end to the war, reunions with loved ones, faith in victory, and dreams of peaceful skies, served as a subtle and unbreakable link between the front and the home front. According to the authors, they were intended to become a symbol of grief for the soldiers who never returned from the front, the gratitude of their descendants, and the primacy of the pacifist ideal.
These "triangles," in the design sketch, flew from the fluttering cloaks of the soldier statues at the entrance to thousands of silent park guides. They led to pergolas carved with excerpts from soldiers' letters and facts about the war and its victims. Or to recreation areas, inviting picnics on the green grass, exercise, and admire the blue sky in the shade of a birch alley. To engage in the ordinary activities of peacetime, a time that millions of soldiers who died in the war never experienced.
There are no trees, no lighting either.
In 2019, city residents approved the park's design, which included a plaza, a memorial trail, a pond with a fountain, jogging and cycling paths, play areas for children, sports, board games, hammocks, a food court, and an amphitheater.
Construction of the public space began in 2020. The city administration allocated the first tranche of approximately 20 million rubles for this purpose. The contractor, "Vertical," completed the initial landscaping work: they installed a stele, built an entrance arch, and laid paving stones in the square and sidewalk. Of this amount, 5,7 million rubles were allocated for landscaping. However, there are no trees here other than those that had grown spontaneously. And most of the saplings planted during city cleanup days never took root.
In 2021, the mayor's office allocated a second tranche of 37,8 million rubles to Gradzhilstroy for the improvement of Victory Park. However, the contractor failed to install benches, trash cans, waste bins, bike racks, or a modular toilet. These violations were uncovered by an audit by the Yakutsk Audit Chamber. Auditors also found that the park's light fixtures were not connected to the power grid. The costs for these fixtures amounted to 3,7 million rubles. Furthermore, the lamps were purchased at an inflated price.
Tanks, guns, armored personnel carriers
City authorities deviated from the original design early in the park's construction. Initially, a monument to the legendary Yakut sniper Ivan Kulbertinov was added, with some of the funds for its installation raised through a fundraising campaign.
A year later, on City Day, the "Family of a Victorious Soldier" monument was ceremoniously unveiled. 17 million rubles were spent on the monument's production.
The Victory Park concept was finally abandoned in the summer of 2022. The public space, conceived with pacifist ideas, was transformed into a "Patriot Alley." It features tanks, armored personnel carriers, a mortar, cannons, an anti-aircraft gun, and a howitzer—12 pieces of military equipment in total.
"When we were coming up with the idea for the park, we weren't aiming to cosplay existing Victory Parks in Russia and around the world. We wanted something new and with a lot of heart. And when the task of displaying military equipment arose, we tried to integrate it into our design as seamlessly as possible," said Jamila Fedorova, the park's conceptual designer.
The Patriotic Alley opened in early October 2022. The park was crowded that day—citizens gathered to see the tanks and howitzers, and brought their children to play.
We'll finish building it, but not now.
On the eve of Victory Day, a concert was held in the park, with the performers and audience consisting of elderly women in military uniforms and traditional dress. Wartime songs, poems in the Yakut language, and a call to honor the memory of those who brought victory with a moment of silence were heard from the stage. However, no one in the square responded to the sounds of the metronome; everyone continued about their business.
The Moscow mayor's office planned to celebrate the grand opening of Victory Park in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of the Yakut ASSR and the 390th anniversary of the city of Yakutsk. However, these dates passed two years ago, and construction on the park is still ongoing. Its second phase, costing 45,7 million rubles, began this year.
The municipal contract again includes landscaping and improvements to sidewalks, playgrounds, and paths, as well as lighting, totaling 3 million rubles. The contractor, who received the funds but failed to install electricity, has yet to receive the money.