Bust of Hero of Russia Senior Lieutenant Dmitry V. Petrov
General Information
Description
The bust monument to Hero of the Russian Federation Dmitry Vladimirovich Petrov. The column is made of granite, and the bust is made of bronze. The column bears an inscription in gold embossing:
“Hero of the Russian Federation, Guards Senior Lieutenant of Military Unit 32515 Dmitry Vladimirovich Petrov. Born June 10, 1974. Heroically died as part of the 6th Company, 104th Airborne Regiment, 76th Airborne Division on March 1, 2000, in the battle for Hill 776 near the village of Ulus-Kert (Chechen Republic).”
The base features a pedestal with space for laying flowers.
Historical Background
On February 29, 2000, during a counter-terrorist operation near Ulus-Kert (Chechnya), the 6th Company of the 104th Parachute Regiment (76th Pskov VDV Division) engaged militants under Khattab. At Height 776.0, 90 soldiers held off 2,500 militants advancing toward Dagestan. The unequal battle lasted until March 1. At dawn, Battalion Commander Lieutenant Colonel Mark Evtyukhin called artillery fire on his position—then contact was lost.
Only six paratroopers survived. Militant losses: ~500 killed. All 13 officers and 9 soldiers were awarded Hero of Russia by President Putin (21 posthumously); others received the Order of Courage.
Twenty years after the Argun Gorge battle, Andrey Pavlov immortalized the fallen: A bronze bust now stands in each hero’s hometown.
Dmitry Petrov
Dmitry Vladimirovich Petrov (10.06.1974 – 01.03.2000) – Deputy Commander for Educational Work, 104th Guards Red Banner Parachute Regiment, 76th Chernigov Red Banner VDV Division. Guards Senior Lieutenant.
Born in Rostov-on-Don. Trained for military service from childhood: “Young Aviators Club” (from age 12), parachuting, school dance ensemble, boxing. Graduated from the Ryazan Higher Red Banner VDV Command School (1991–1995). Served in the 104th Parachute Regiment (Pskov).
Deployed to conflict zones, including peacekeeping forces in Abkhazia. Participated in counter-terrorist operations in Chechnya from February 2000.
In the Argun Gorge
First combat on February 9 near Dyshne-Vedeno. On February 22, his platoon repelled an attack (>10 militants killed). On February 29, the platoon blocked militants in the Argun Gorge. After repelling the first assault, they relocated to Height 776.0. Petrov carried three wounded to safety.
On March 1, militants attacked from three sides. Guards Sr. Lt. Petrov fired with target-range precision. At dawn, he was ordered to cover a relief platoon heading to the 6th Company. He accomplished the mission but was wounded. Despite injuries, he commanded until his last grenade, charging attackers to blow himself up with them.
His father recalled: “After school, he commanded a platoon, then a company. In Abkhazia (August 1999), he suffered severe concussion from Georgian artillery fire. Our paratroopers refused militants’ bribes. No one will forget the 6th Company’s feat.”
By Decree No. 484 of the President of Russia (March 12, 2000), Guards Senior Lieutenant Dmitry Vladimirovich Petrov was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Russian Federation.
Buried at Northern Cemetery, Rostov-on-Don.
Preserving memory
The Contribution of Patron Andrey Pavlov
Moscow businessman Andrey Pavlov installed 75 monuments to fallen heroes of the 6th Company born in a vanished country. He named his project “Memory of the Last Fallen Company of the Soviet Union.”
The idea originated in 2017 in Kholm (Novgorod Region) during the military-patriotic song festival “Heartfelt Involvement,” where a bust of legendary VDV commander Army General Vasily Margelov was unveiled. Speaking with VDV veterans, Pavlov conceived the idea to install a monument here to Junior Sergeant Yevgeny Isakov, who perished at Height 776.0 as part of the 6th Company. A year later, the idea was realized. This sparked the plan to erect bronze busts in each hero’s hometown.
The project was challenging, funded solely by Pavlov. The first monuments appeared in his native Novgorod and Leningrad Regions. By the 20th anniversary of the Pskov paratroopers’ feat, busts stood in nearly every hero’s hometown. Only Alexey Nekrasov’s monument in Kirovo-Chepetsk remains to be installed.
“As If My Son Came Home”
The project revealed that the 6th Company included natives from most former Soviet republics: Fergana, Uralsk, Kutaisi, Jūrmala, Rostov-on-Don, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Vitebsk Region… Hence Pavlov sometimes calls it “Memory of the Last Fallen Company of the USSR.”
For Pavlov, the project honors both the soldiers and their parents. Nina Ivanovna, mother of 6th Company medic Junior Sergeant Yevgeny Khamatov, shared at the unveiling in Podporozhye: “As if my son came home. He stands as if alive. I’ll visit him every day.” To Pavlov, such words are priceless validation. These monuments matter not only to families and comrades but also to strangers who connect with the soldiers’ valor through them.