German Soldier on Guard at Stalin Monument — Occupied Staraya Russa, 1941

December 6, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

German soldier guarding a Stalin statue in occupied Staraya Russa, 1941.

This photograph shows a German soldier standing guard on the steps of the former Red Army House in the occupied Soviet city of Staraya Russa in 1941. The building, located on Volodarsky Street, housed statues of both Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin, symbols of Soviet authority and ideology. In this particular frame, only the statue of Stalin is visible, while the Lenin statue appears in another photo from the same series.

The image reflects not only the military occupation of the city but also the symbolic dominance expressed through such photographs. German troops frequently used locations with prominent Soviet monuments to underscore the collapse of local authority and to document their presence for propaganda or internal reporting.

The photo was taken by Yevgeny Khaldei, one of the most significant Soviet war photographers. His work often captured contrasting elements—enemy soldiers, Soviet symbols, and the layered meanings created by occupation and resistance.

Staraya Russa was occupied early in the German invasion and remained under enemy control for much of the war. Images like this one help illustrate the psychological dimension of occupation: the visual clash between Soviet monumental propaganda and German military presence.

Technical Photo Data:

📍 Location: Staraya Russa, Leningrad Region, USSR
📅 Date: 1941
📝 Subject: German guard at Stalin statue, former Red Army House
📷 Author: Yevgeny Khaldei

• Occupied Soviet cities
• Wehrmacht guard duty
• Soviet statues WWII
• Eastern Front 1941