A nearly 1,000-year-old Polovtsian “Baba” (warrior) statue was evacuated from the frontlines near Hektova Balka to the Dmytro Yavornytskyi National Historical Museum in Dnipro. The 3rd Separate Assault Brigade’s Khorunzha Service made the rescue saving the statue from destruction by Russian forces.

A member of the service stated that the statue would be returned to its original location after the war – but would undergo research at the museum in the meantime.

This is the second Polovtsian sculpture saved from the frontlines in recent months.

The Polovtsi, also known as Cumans, were a nomadic Turkic people who inhabited the area north of the Black Sea and left a lasting influence on Kyivan Rus and other kingdoms. Their "Baba" statues, found throughout Eastern Europe, were erected between the 11th and 13th centuries as sacred tombstone figures representing ancestors. More than 2,000 have survived, though many are now threatened due to their proximity to the war zone.

Photo 3: Polovtsian stone sculptures (babas) of IX-XIII centuries on Mount Kremenets in Izium city (Kharkiv Oblast) after Russian shelling during the Battle of Izium in 2022. One statue was completely destroyed by a projectile. Nearby monument to WWII heroes (in the background on the right) is partially destroyed. (Photo: Wikipedia)

Photo: Oleksandr Alfyorov FB

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