In 1941, Soviet forces in Murmansk finally gained ground and pushed back against the invading Nazi army. A turning point in Hitler’s arctic campaign, the Alyosha Statue was erected in 1974 as a monument to World War II fighters who protected the Arctic from the German invaders.

Considered a hero city, Murmansk is the largest populated city within the Arctic Circle, and the proud Alyosha statue is the second highest in all of Russia. Standing at 116 feet, the 5000-ton statue towers over the frosty lands around Murmansk, and keeps an eternal flame burning to commemorate the brave soldiers who kept Hitler from reaching deeper into the Arctic.