Vladivostok temporarily returns Solzhenitsyn statue to waterfront after relocation

A statue of Alexander Solzhenitsyn in Vladivostok has been temporarily returned to Korabelnaya Embankment after a move to Vera and Nadezhda Square. City officials cited the sculpture’s size and residents’ complaints.

The city administration told Interfax that the installation showed the monument overwhelmed the small recreation area. Residents also said it would obstruct views and make the space harder to use. Officials decided to return it after reviewing complaints and inspecting the site.

The statue had been removed from the waterfront the previous day. Plans for its relocation emerged in March. At the time, city officials cited criticism from local historians who considered its position among warships inappropriate because the writer had arrived in Vladivostok by air.

Sculptor Pyotr Chegodayev created the monument, which was installed in 2015 and later transferred to municipal ownership. The administration said it was not a designated cultural heritage monument. Solzhenitsyn visited Vladivostok in May 1994 while returning to Russia from the United States.

Specialists will now revise the layout of Vera and Nadezhda Square to preserve its use as a recreation area. City authorities plan to move the statue there again once the work is complete.