The portrait of Nikolay Ivanovich Afanasyev, a militsiya officer and Hero of the Soviet Union, was made by the Honored Artist of Russia and sculptor Sergey Yefimovich Lebedev (1929–1993).
Sergey Lebedev is widely known for his numerous indoor and monumental works of sculpture. His career is closely connected with the Tambov region. In 1972, the sculptor created a portrait of his contemporary, the hero of the Great Patriotic War Nikolay Ivanovich Afanasyev. The sculpture is distinguished by its bold style of modeling, which conveys a specific image of a person with expressive features. The determined profile reveals and emphasizes the character of the model.
Nikolay Ivanovich Afanasyev was born in 1914 in the village of Stepanishchevo, Muchkapsky district, Tambov region. During the Great Patriotic War, he fought in the 69th separate mechanized brigade. In battles with the Nazi invaders, Nikolay Afanasyev showed courage, bravery, heroism, and devotion to the Motherland. In repeated battles with superior enemy forces, Senior Sergeant Afanasyev kept supporting the Soviet infantrymen with the fire of his gun, thereby ensuring the battlefield success of the brigade. In September 1943, near the village of Zarubintsy (Kanev district, Cherkasy region), his crew was one of the first to successfully cross the Dnieper using improvised means and was entrenched on the right bank of the river. In the three-day battles on the Trans-Dnieper foothold, Afanasyev’s crew destroyed one gun, two tanks, five machine guns, two mortars, and about a hundred Nazis. A particularly fierce battle ensued in the area of a small village in the Zhytomyr region. Afanasyev’s crew was left by the command to give cover to other troops. The artillerymen dug in and camouflaged their positions thoroughly; all they had to do next was wait. There was dead silence all around. In the afternoon, somewhere in the distance, the approaching noise of motors could be heard. Soon the gunners saw German tanks crawling out from behind the forest onto the road. The situation deteriorated quickly. The battle was extremely stubborn and fierce and continued until the evening. The successful outcome of the battle, due to the correct calculations of Afanasyev, helped Russian units to break out of the “pocket”.
For this feat, on January 10, 1944, Nikolay Ivanovich Afanasyev was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
Sergey Lebedev is widely known for his numerous indoor and monumental works of sculpture. His career is closely connected with the Tambov region. In 1972, the sculptor created a portrait of his contemporary, the hero of the Great Patriotic War Nikolay Ivanovich Afanasyev. The sculpture is distinguished by its bold style of modeling, which conveys a specific image of a person with expressive features. The determined profile reveals and emphasizes the character of the model.
Nikolay Ivanovich Afanasyev was born in 1914 in the village of Stepanishchevo, Muchkapsky district, Tambov region. During the Great Patriotic War, he fought in the 69th separate mechanized brigade. In battles with the Nazi invaders, Nikolay Afanasyev showed courage, bravery, heroism, and devotion to the Motherland. In repeated battles with superior enemy forces, Senior Sergeant Afanasyev kept supporting the Soviet infantrymen with the fire of his gun, thereby ensuring the battlefield success of the brigade. In September 1943, near the village of Zarubintsy (Kanev district, Cherkasy region), his crew was one of the first to successfully cross the Dnieper using improvised means and was entrenched on the right bank of the river. In the three-day battles on the Trans-Dnieper foothold, Afanasyev’s crew destroyed one gun, two tanks, five machine guns, two mortars, and about a hundred Nazis. A particularly fierce battle ensued in the area of a small village in the Zhytomyr region. Afanasyev’s crew was left by the command to give cover to other troops. The artillerymen dug in and camouflaged their positions thoroughly; all they had to do next was wait. There was dead silence all around. In the afternoon, somewhere in the distance, the approaching noise of motors could be heard. Soon the gunners saw German tanks crawling out from behind the forest onto the road. The situation deteriorated quickly. The battle was extremely stubborn and fierce and continued until the evening. The successful outcome of the battle, due to the correct calculations of Afanasyev, helped Russian units to break out of the “pocket”.
For this feat, on January 10, 1944, Nikolay Ivanovich Afanasyev was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
