Mother Russia

For other uses, see Mother Russia (disambiguation).

1914 poster illustrating the Triple Entente, showing allegorical personifications of France (Marianne), Russia, and the UK (Britannia).

Mother Russia (Russian: Россия-Матушка, transliterated as Rossiya-Matushka) is a national personification of Russia, appearing in patriotic posters, statues etc. The usage of the term "mother" in reference to a nation or culture symbolizes the "spirit of collectivity". In the Soviet period, the term Mother Motherland (Родина-Мать, Rodina-Mat) was preferred, as representing the multi-ethnic Soviet Union; still, there is a clear similarity between the pre-1917 Mother Russia and the Soviet figure, especially as depicted during and in the aftermath of the Eastern Front of World War II.

Statues

Most of statues of the Motherland were made after the war. These include:

• The Motherland Calls (Russian: Родина мать зовёт, Rodina Mat' Zovyot!) a statue in Volgograd, Russia, commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad
• Mother Motherland (Kiev), a statue at the World War II memorial, Kiev, Ukraine
• Mother Motherland (Saint Petersburg), a statue at the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery, St. Petersburg, Russia
• Mother Russia (Kaliningrad), a monument in Kaliningrad, Russia
• Mother Motherland Mourning over Her Perished Sons (Russian: Родина-мать, скорбящая о погибших сыновьях), Minsk, Belarus commemorating the dead in Afghanistan
• Mother Motherland (Naberezhnye Chelny), a monument in Naberezhnye Chelny, Russia
• Mother Motherland (Pavlovsk), a memorial complex, Pavlovsk, Russia

See also

• Mat Zemlya