Volunteers "updated" the stele at the entrance to Donetsk region: it caused outrage in social networks

Recently, four volunteers updated the stele at the entrance to Donetsk Oblast. They removed the stickers and painted over all the inscriptions that were left on it, in particular, by the Ukrainian military. Such actions were criticized in social networks by Ukrainians, UNN reports. 

The results of the volunteers' work were posted on social media by Typical Pokrovsk.

"The stele at the entrance to Donetsk region has been renovated. It's been brought back to its original glory: Victoria Chernogor, Oleg Borovik, Anatoly Shakhov, Konstantin Derevinsky. Thank you very much," the statement reads. 

Many on social media reacted negatively to the volunteers' actions, calling them the destruction of the memory of Ukrainian soldiers.

"There are stickers, signatures, opinions, even those who are no longer among us. But some incomprehensible scum of the Moscow City decided that they had the right to make it "clean". This is not a signpost, but a place of power," wrote the artist Olha Drozd." 

"No, this is not a joke from artificial intelligence. It was some 'activists' who just took the same historical stele at the entrance to Donetsk region and painted over it with cheap paint. We are not military, but it hurts like hell. Fuck, if you want a beautiful stele at the entrance, make a new one nearby. Don't touch this one. There are the names of those who made it possible for you to do this shit," writes photographer Konstantin Liberov.

"This stele is about the invincibility of Donetsk region. And we will remember it as such. Because every millimeter of it is a memory. About all those who gave their lives for a free Ukraine. About all those who continue to fight. About the future. About faith in victory. About our strength and unity," volunteer Magdalena wrote on social network X. 

Iryna Tsybukh, a combat medic with the Hospitallers volunteer battalion, called the volunteers' actions the destruction of memory.

"It hurts me. It was a memorial sign with a powerful meaning and history, not just a message about entering the region. There were signatures of our brothers-in-arms who are no longer alive. Perhaps it hurts so much because nothing is over yet, and it's already painted over, as if nothing had happened," she wrote .

Volunteer Yana Statna noted that "people are going a little overboard with their volunteering." "Who asked to update the stele? It was beautiful, wonderful! Our best, our closest. It's not about a place for photos, it's about people's memory and pain..." she wrote. 

However, there are comments in support of painting the stele.

"I personally prefer to look at a clean beautiful majestic stele of the indestructible land that we are all defending together not by human efforts, and all these stickers and signatures and so on are really in a landfill somewhere...", - said one of the social media users. 

Another stated that he believed the volunteers  had only good intentions. "I understand that this is history and our defenders' footprint is on it, but those who updated it definitely did not want to make it worse. Perhaps they just wanted to show that we will rebuild, update and heal better than before,"  the post reads. 

In a post below the video, volunteer Victoria Chornohor, who painted the stele, wrote:

"Thank you to everyone who supports us and understands that the Stele is not a memorial, the Stele is a face in the first place! Thank God this stele is not involved in hostilities and the inscriptions of charitable organizations and pizza delivery are not so good. Memorials are about memory, and the flags have done a great job of commemorating that memory and now complement the painted stele. Of course, everyone has their own opinion and has every right to do so, but only residents of Donetsk region will understand, for whom a peaceful sky and life are important now, and the Stele, which now looks very beautiful, is a reminder that Donbas is the heart of Ukraine," the volunteer wrote.