In memory of those whose trust we failed to justify
November 6th is International Day of Remembrance for Animals Killed by Humans. Animal cruelty laws in Russia are largely unenforced: the number of cases where animal abusers have received actual, rather than symbolic, punishment can be counted on one hand.
There are only a few monuments in the country dedicated to animals who have suffered human cruelty. The stories of some of them are quite revealing.
1. Monument to homeless animals "Compassion", Moscow
It was unveiled in February 2007 at the Mendeleevskaya station on the Serpukhovsko-Timiryazevskaya line of the Moscow metro, not far from the spot in the underground passage where the dog Malchik, who had been cared for by metro employees, was publicly killed. The murder was committed by model Yuliana Romanova, who stabbed Malchik six times.
Prominent Russian actors and public figures have formed a special committee to design a monument that symbolizes protest against animal cruelty.
2. Monument to Humanity, Kindness, and Compassion, Nizhny Novgorod
Opened in November 2021 near the dog training area near Kanavinsky Square, it is dedicated to the memory of two dogs, Tolstushka and Zhulya, who lived nearby. Local store clerks loved and fed them, but in March of that year, Tolstushka and Zhulya fell victim to dog hunters, who poisoned more than twenty stray dogs in two weeks.
The funds for the monument's installation were raised by local residents. The model was created by 17-year-old Anna Solovieva, a self-taught artist and animal volunteer.
3. Monument to the cat Kuzya, St. Petersburg
Kuzya was tortured to death by Artem Lavrentyev and Anna Gromovich, a sadistic couple from Severodvinsk. They filmed their cat's torture. The story generated widespread publicity, and a criminal case was opened against the animal abusers. In February 2022, both were sentenced to prison terms. Lavrentyev, while in prison, enlisted in the war with Ukraine, where he died.
At the city pet cemetery in St. Petersburg, a memorial plaque was first erected for the cat, and a year later, a bronze sculpture, "Kuzya the Cat Sitting on a Bench," was installed.
4. A failed monument to tortured animals, Khabarovsk
In 2016, Khabarovsk animal rights activists announced plans to erect a monument to tortured animals. The idea emerged after the story of the "Khabarovsk animal abusers" spread widely online: Alena Savchenko and Alina Orlova systematically maimed and killed animals and birds adopted from shelters from June to August 2016.
A sketch of the monument was completed, and a local company donated 600 kilograms of cement. However, after that, talk of the monument died down. The project was never revisited.
5. Monument to abandoned and dead pets, Kazan
In December 2020, the creative group Karale.mia installed a sculpture in the city center depicting a winged dog and a small kitten. Attached to the sculpture was a note: "We continue to die of cold and hunger, and you continue to pretend we don't exist. We really want to live."
The sculpture stood for only a week: soon the dog's wings were broken off, and the kitten's paws.
