Don Cossacks in the Third Reich armed forces, 1942 (Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1975-099-15A via Wikimedia Commons). Image by Forward collage

By Lev Golinkin January 27, 2022

This list is part of an ongoing investigative project the Forward first published in January 2021 documenting hundreds of monuments around the world to people involved in the Holocaust. We are continuing to update each country’s list; if you know of any not included here, or of statues that have been removed or streets renamed, please email [email protected], subject line: Nazi monument project.

Yelanskaya — In the Rostov region of Russia stands a memorial complex to Don Cossacks who fought against Bolsheviks. Looming over the complex is a statue of Pyotr Krasnov (1869–1947), historian, antisemite and Nazi collaborator. Krasnov was a prominent commander of the Don Cossacks who had fought against the Communists during the Russian Civil War. In 1941, when the Third Reich invaded the Soviet Union, Krasnov leveraged his stature of Cossack hero to recruit fighters for what he proclaimed was Hitler’s crusade “against communists, Jews and their minions who trade in Russian blood.” In turn, the Nazis placed Krasnov in charge of Cossack affairs in the Reich Ministry for the Occupied Eastern Territories.

Yelanskaya’s memorial complex employs a common whitewashing tactic: lumping both problematic and non-problematic figures into a single pantheon of “heroes.” Jointly honoring Don Cossacks who fought against Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War and WWII collaborators like Krasnov allows whitewashers to use genuine (or at least non-problematic) heroes to shield the collaborators. Any denunciation of the collaborators becomes twisted as a denunciation of the entire pantheon.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

See the Czech Republic, Germany and U.S. sections for more honors of Russian collaborators. Below, Don Cossacks in the Third Reich armed forces, 1942.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’re near the end of our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we have a very ambitious goal of $127,000 by April 21.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a Passover gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Make a Passover Gift Today!

$90 $180

$360

Other amount