Work is nearing completion on a large-scale mural on the end wall of a residential building on Heroes of the Defence of Brest Fortress Street. The new artwork is another project under a city programme that envisages the creation of seven giant military-patriotic murals across Brest. However, the initiative has sparked a wave of criticism on social media, as noted by BrestCITY.
Reform.news reviewed the recent ideologically themed graffiti projects in the city on the Bug River to understand why Brest residents have reacted so negatively to another example of what critics describe as “decorative patriotism.”
What Is Depicted on the New Mural?
BrestCITY first reported work on the mural on Heroes of the Defence of Brest Fortress Street last week. As seen in photographs from the site, the monumental artwork covers the entire end wall of a five-storey residential building.
At the centre of the composition is a huge black-and-white portrait of a serviceman symbolising a collective image of a defender of Brest Fortress. Attempts by pro-government media outlets to identify him as Andrei Kizhavatau have been met with ridicule in local online communities because of the obvious lack of resemblance.
At the bottom of the mural are the destroyed Terespol Gate and the ruins of the citadel. Behind the soldier’s head is a shattered brick wall opening onto a blue sky with white birds — a symbol of peace and remembrance.
The artwork is painted on a perfectly smooth, freshly plastered white wall. However, the photographs clearly show that the adjoining facade of the same building, where the windows are located, is in poor condition: ageing silicate bricks, peeling plaster and grey stains that point to the urgent need for major repairs.
A Monumental Assembly Line: Ideological Kitsch Instead of Aesthetics
The programme to create seven themed murals was announced by the authorities ahead of celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of Victory Day in 2025. It continues to this day. The mural on Heroes of the Defence of Brest Fortress Street is one of the final projects in the programme.
Looking at the murals already completed, it is difficult not to question not only the appropriateness of public spending but also the artistic quality of the works. Many of the projects resemble examples of ideological kitsch.
For example, on Kastrychnitskai Revoliutsyi Street, residents can see an unforgettable triptych by artist Nastassia Kashaliuk spanning three neighbouring buildings. The mural on building No. 21 (the second photograph), with its psychedelic red-and-blue tones, shocked some local residents, who called for the gloomy artwork to be painted over.
Another part of the programme was the “heroic graffiti” painted in the tunnel of the Brest Bridge near the fortress in spring 2025. Here, the work openly appears amateurish and poorly executed.
Against this backdrop, the mural at 326 Maskouskaya Street (in the Kanstytutsyi district), featuring a large portrait of Fyodar Rabau wearing a Budyonovka cap against the backdrop of the Kholm Gate, evokes what many would describe as second-hand embarrassment.
The new mural on Heroes of the Defence of Brest Fortress Street does not appear to be an exception, considering that residents spent a long time debating whether it depicted Kizhavatau or someone else entirely.
What Angered Residents?
People are not outraged by the remembrance of war itself, but by what they see as a cynical disconnect between officials’ patriotic reports and the actual condition of the city’s infrastructure.
In local Telegram chats and under Instagram posts by Brest media outlets, residents’ main complaint concerns what they describe as the authorities’ neglect of communal needs. They point out that money was found for artists and hundreds of litres of paint for one side of a building, while the rest of the structure — where people face real housing and utility problems — has gone without repairs for years.
“They should have repaired the roofs and sealed the joints first. There is mould in the corners of apartments, but instead they paint pretty pictures on the outside!”
“This mural will not keep our apartment warm in winter. It is cold, the seams let in drafts, but there is no money for insulation. Yet there is money for paint for a giant picture.”
Residents have also criticised what they see as an excessive focus on military themes.
“Soon there will be no living space left in the city, only military images. Why can’t they create something neutral for everyday life instead of endless mourning?”
“Why not paint nature, space-themed scenes or simply positive landscapes? Brest already has plenty of memorials. We want more space for life, not constant reminders of war on every wall,” social media users wrote.
It is worth recalling that in 2021 a mural dedicated to Brest Fortress defender Pyotr Haurylau appeared on the street that bears his name.
The city on the Bug River was also included in the nationwide “Marathon of Unity” campaign, during which the graffiti piece “The Future of Belarus Is in Your Hands” was created by the Belarusian Republican Youth Union on Maskouskaya Street. It became the tenth mural created across Belarus to commemorate the ideological campaign.
