Russia, a public space under influence.

From Soviet memory to the war in Ukraine.

World War II tanks frozen into the asphalt of public parks, helicopters from the Afghan war lining riverside promenades: in Russia, the militarisation of public space is not a recent phenomenon. It is rooted in a continuity inherited from the Soviet Union. The memory of the Second World War, and the human toll it demanded; still profoundly shapes the urban landscape. Every city has its Victory Park, where weapons used during the conflict are put on display.

In Maloyaroslavets, a small town south of Moscow, multiple elements recall the 1812 battle that pitted Napoleon’s forces against those of Marshal Kutuzov. In Volgograd, formerly Stalingrad, the urban environment is marked by monumental structures referencing the city’s heroic past. Here, hundreds of thousands of Soviet soldiers died to halt the Nazi advance.

Yet even before the start of the 2022 war in Ukraine, shifts in the nature of wartime references were already visible. In Stavropol, in southern Russia, public spaces in new residential districts are steeped in patriotic markers. Inaugurated in 2020, the Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces and Patriot Park can, in hindsight, be seen as a turning point in the assertion of this state-led patriotism.

From February 2022 onwards, with the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, public space was mobilised for other purposes. It first served to spread the letter “Z,” which became the symbol of the “special military operation,” before hosting posters celebrating new Russian heroes. At the same time, recruitment campaigns for the army appeared in urban outskirts and rural towns. Central Moscow remains largely spared these explicit references to the war. In order to preserve a sense of normality. Still, a few individuals display placards expressing support for the conflict near symbolic sites – Red Square, the U.S. embassy, and so on.

This project, initiated in 2020, seeks to show how the militarisation of public space linked to the war in Ukraine fits within a longer historical continuum shaped by the memory of the Second World War. It also aims to shed light on the objectives of communication strategies developed after the annexation of Crimea, and on the shift that took place in 2022, notably to generate public support for the military cause.

Novosibirsk, 09/03/2016 – Mothers stroll with their newborns in a park where military equipment is on display, Novosibirsk, Siberia.

Maloyaroslavets 12/07/2020. One late afternoon in July, residents meet in a park in the centre of Maloyaroslavets. Behind, the "1812" cafe-hotel and its "great triumphal fountain". "1812" refers to the first patriotic war, when Russia defeated Napolean, and one of its main battle happened in the city of Maloyroslavetz. The trash bins that adorn the park are shaped like cannons from the time of the Napoleonic war.

Maloyaroslavets, 01/10/2020. A child explores a Soviet anti-aircraft battery in a park in Maloyaroslavets, a city located 100 kilometers south of Moscow.

Volgograd, February 18, 2020 – “Motherland Calls” dominates the city of Volgograd. Erected in 1967 on Mamayev Kurgan Hill, the 85-meter-high statue commemorates the Battle of Stalingrad (1942–1943), one of the deadliest battles of World War II. A symbol of Soviet sacrifice, it embodies the victory won at the cost of hundreds of thousands of lives and marks a decisive turning point in the conflict on the Eastern Front.

Volgograd, February 18, 2020 – Inside the Mamayev Kurgan Memorial, the eternal flame burns beneath the names of the soldiers who fell during the Battle of Stalingrad. The monumental hand holding the torch recalls the centrality of military sacrifice in Soviet and Russian memory, where the memory of the war still shapes the national narrative and public space today.

Krasnogvardeyskoye, 14/04/2021. A fighter plane is set as a trophy in the garden of an administrative monument on Lenin Street of Krasnogvardeyskoye. Elements referring to war, used in urban design, are common in villages and towns in Russia, and are emphasizing the past of the Soviet Union.

Moscow, 13/04/2022. The grave of General of the Soviet army is topped with a tank in the Novodevichy Cemetery, in Centra Moscow. This cemetery functions as a pantheon reserved for political, military, and cultural elites..

Stavropol, 11/04/2021. On a Sunday morning, four young people came for the day to visit the new Victory Park, which was built in the Perspektivne, a new district in the suburb of Stavropol.

Kubinka, 27/08/2020 - A young woman poses in front of a tank at the entrance of the “Army” International Military-Technical Forum, an annual event organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Dedicated to the defense industry and military technologies, the forum functions as a commercial showcase, a diplomatic platform, and a spectacular display of Russian military power.

Kubinka, 27/08/2020 - Two men compete in an arm-wrestling match during the “Army” International Military-Technical Forum, organized by the Russian Ministry of Defense. Alongside weapon displays, the event stages demonstrations of physical strength and endurance, reinforcing a culture where military power, masculinity, and spectacle intersect in the public space.

Kubinka, 11/10/2020. A mother is taking a picture of her son who is riding a tank in the "Tankodrome", situated near the parking of the "Patriot Park".

Kubinka, 20/09/2020 - A plane from the German army, captured by the USSR during the second world war, is displayed in the park surrounding the Cathedral of the Russian Armed forces. Planes, tanks, trenches and barbed wires give an impression of historical reconstitution.

Kubinka, 27/08/2020 - A young woman is lighting a candle during her evening prayers at the Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces. Behind her, a mosaic representing Soviet soldiers deployed during theSoviet war.

Ufa, 29/06/2020, An advertisement calls on voters to approve the constitutional reform of July 1, 2020. The amendments allowed Vladimir Putin to reset his presidential terms, paving the way for him to remain in power beyond 2024, while strengthening the role of the state, the military, and so-called “traditional values” in the Russian Constitution.

Obninsk, 29/12/2022 - An elderly man begs on a pedestrian street in the city center of Obninsk, a town near Moscow known for its civilian nuclear infrastructure during the Soviet era. Behind him, a mural features the letter “Z” alongside the image of a “babushka Z”. She became a meme after waving a Soviet flag at the Ukrainian army, after they entered her village in early 2022.

Kostroma, 04/09/2024. Recruitment posters for the Russian army stand alongside an advertisement for a local circus on a shop window. Enlistment campaigns, promising salaries and bonuses, have intensified in provincial cities since the launch of the “special military operation.”

Kostroma, 04/09/2024. Two women observe an open-air exhibition paying tribute to soldiers killed in combat. Installed along a public promenade, this series of portraits contributes to the staging of military sacrifice and the embedding of a patriotic narrative into everyday life.

Moscow, 29/10/2025. Muscovites walk past a recruitment poster for contract military service in the Moscow metro. The advertised amount - up to 5.2 million roubles for the first year - combines federal and municipal bonuses, monthly pay and additional allowances. With its substantial municipal budget, Moscow offers financial incentives above the national average.

Moscow, 15/12/2025. A billboard calling on citizens to join the “special military operation.” This posters are visible in the outskirts of Moscow, but rarely seen in the city centre, where signs of the war are not visible.

Moscow, 30/10/2025. A billboard promotes Yunarmiya (“Young Army”), a youth movement created in 2016 under the auspices of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Aimed at children and teenagers, the organization promotes patriotism, discipline, and an introduction to military values and practices through educational, sports, and paramilitary activities. Such campaigns reflect a broader militarization of public space and civic education in Russia.

Ufa, 08/10/2025. A large military recruitment poster near Perm’s main bus station. The advertised amount (4.2 million roubles) is lower than in Moscow, reflecting regional disparities in locally funded bonuses.

Moscow, 16/10/2025. At the Victory Museum in Moscow, a temporary exhibition titled Shoulder to Shoulder presents Russo–North Korean military cooperation, from the Soviet liberation of the Korean Peninsula in 1945 to the global strategic partnership signed in 2024, as well as the participation of North Korean soldiers in recent military operations.

Moscow, 16/10/2025. At the exit of an exhibition dedicated to the “special military operation” (SMO/ZVO), a desk invites visitors to write letters to soldiers involved in the war.

Moscow, 16/10/2025. In the Victory Museum gift shop, children’s costumes inspired by Second World War soldiers are on sale.

Kaluga, 03/01/2026 - During the Christmas holidays, children play in front of the regional theatre in Kaluga. Behind them, a poster supporting the “special military operation” features the letter “Z,” overlaid on the Russian flag and the St George ribbon, with the slogan “Victory will be ours.” Widely disseminated since 2022, this symbol has become a visual marker of official support for the conflict.

Moscow, 29/11/2025. An individual demonstration in support of the “special military operation” in front of the American embassy. A person holds a flag associated with the St George ribbon and a placard calling for the continuation of the war effort.

Moscow, 07/01/2026 - On Orthodox Christmas Day, 7 January 2026, many Russians stroll through central Moscow. In Moscow’s historic centre, little suggests that a devastating war is taking place just a few hundred kilometres away.