June 7, 2017: the famous Latvian sculptor Oleg Skarainis was born in the city of Taganrog on August 5, 1923. During occupation of Taganrog, the young artist was sent to Nazi Germany as an "ostarbeiter" to perform forced labor. After the war's end he settled in Latvia, joining his mother.


Oleg Skarainis graduated from Riga Academy of Arts and had a distinguished career as a sculptor, earning many awards and prizes. In 1967 he participated in creation of The Salaspils Memorial Ensemble in Salaspils (Latvia), where an extended police prison and Nazi concentration camp were located from 1941 to 1945. He created one of the seven concrete sculptures, entitled "The Unbroken".

In 2015 Latvian journalist Svetlana Ginter came to Taganrog to film a documentary dedicated to youth years spent by Skarainis in his home city. Next year the Latvian sculptor made a decision to give a reduced copy of Salaspils Memorial's "The Unbroken" in favor of The Taganrog Group of Museums. Last month the artwork was delivered from Riga to Moscow thanks to assistance provided by The Russian Embassy in Latvia - ex-ambassador Alexander Veshnyakov and Ambassador Yevgeny Lukyanov. Taganrog-based Beriev Aircraft Corp. provided a special plane to transport the sculpture to the artist's home city of Taganrog.


According to Mrs. Galina Krupnitskaya - director of Taganrog Museum of Local Lore & History and president of "The Sambek Heights" Foundation - the artwork will take center stage at the future Military History Museum at Sambek Heights.