As well known and visible in Ukraine as the Statue of Liberty (46 meters high) in the USA, the Motherland Statue (62 meters high) stands on a hill overlooking the Dneiper River and not far from the Lavre Monastery we visited on another day. It was a gift from Russia (the Soviet symbol is on the shield) in tribute to Ukrainians who fought against the invading Nazis. It was dedicated by Brezhnev (also a Ukrainian) in 1981. The plaza surrounding the statue has war machines and memorials depicting courageous civilians and soldiers. In the base of the statue is the Ukrainian State Museum of the Great Patriotic War with very impressive displays about the Eastern Front of World War II. The damage inflicted by invading Nazis with the battles for cities and lands throughout the former Soviet Union, and in particular the Ukraine, is very well presented and sobering. The last display is a large long table set on one side for military personnel with displays behind of many soldiers who lost their lives, on the other side for civilians with displays of families' losses. It is estimated that more than 60 million people lost their lives because of WWII.
