A well known graffiti piece featuring members of the British rock band The Beatles appeared on a wall in Sochi. Local officials have confirmed that, until May 9, portraits honoring the underground group known as the Young Guard will adorn the same wall, near the area around Komsomolsky Square, a site long associated with memory and history.
The decision to place these images ahead of Victory Day, observed on May 9, reflects a deliberate intention to anchor the celebration of wartime heroism in a contemporary urban space. The wall thus becomes a repository for commemorating the sacrifices and courage of those who resisted during the Great Patriotic War, linking local memory to broader national narratives.
The Beatles mural was painted in 2017 by Belarusian artists Gleb Kashtanov and Yan Kuzmin. In Sochi, the duo is also credited with creating portraits of other celebrated figures, including Ostap Bender, Captain Kustao, as well as figures from Operation Y, enriching the city’s street art tapestry with a mix of literature, cinema, and wartime lore.
Paul McCartney, one of the band’s founders, recently performed with a digitally recreated John Lennon, marking a rare reunion through virtual means after more than five decades of separation in performance terms.