Soviet Soldier Mikhail Makarov in Front of the Ruined Reichstag, May 1945

August 11, 2025 - Reading time: 4 minutes

Soviet infantryman Mikhail Makarov stands with his PPSh-41 before the shattered Reichstag in Berlin on May 2, 1945, symbolizing the Red Army’s triumph in the Battle of Berlin.

This powerful wartime photograph captures Mikhail Makarov, a Soviet infantry soldier of the Red Army, standing in front of the ruined Reichstag in Berlin on May 2, 1945 — the very day the building was stormed and the German garrison inside surrendered.

Makarov is armed with the iconic PPSh-41 submachine gun, one of the most recognizable Soviet weapons of World War II. The PPSh-41, known for its high rate of fire and drum magazine, was widely used during the final assault on Berlin, where brutal close-quarters fighting raged through the streets and buildings of the German capital.

The Reichstag had immense symbolic value for the Soviet Union. Its capture signified not only the military defeat of Nazi Germany but also the political triumph of Soviet arms in Europe. By the time this photograph was taken by war correspondent Anatoly Morozov, the structure lay in ruins, bearing the scars of artillery, aerial bombing, and fierce infantry combat.

The image of Mikhail Makarov standing proudly before the battered Reichstag embodies the culmination of the Red Army’s long and bloody journey from the Soviet heartland to the very heart of Berlin. For soldiers like Makarov, the moment represented both personal survival and collective victory after nearly four years of relentless war on the Eastern Front.

Technical photo data:
📝 Source of information: Unknown
📍 Location: Berlin, Germany
📅 Date of photo: May 2, 1945
📷 Photographer: Anatoly Morozov

Mikhail Makarov Soviet soldier
PPSh-41 submachine gun WWII
Reichstag Berlin May 1945
Battle of Berlin Soviet victory
Red Army infantryman Berlin
Soviet capture of Reichstag
WWII Berlin photographs
May 2 1945 Reichstag surrender
Eastern Front final battles
Soviet soldiers in Berlin WWII