Pitkäranta (Karelian: Pitkyrandu), a scenic district town in the Republic of Karelia, holds a captivating piece of military history. At the intersection of Pushkin, Gogol, and Gorky streets stands a T-26 light command tank—the centerpiece of the town’s “Glory to Heroes” memorial. However, behind this iconic local landmark lies an intriguing web of local lore, secret sales, and historical restoration.
The Legend of the Lake Ladoga Recovery
According to local folklore, the T-26 light tank displayed in Pitkäranta saw heavy action during the Soviet–Finnish Winter War (1939–1940). As the story goes, the armored vehicle sank to the bottom of Lake Ladoga during combat, only to be salvaged from the depths in 1998, restored, and mounted on a pedestal to honor fallen soldiers.
Tank monuments featuring the T-26 are exceptionally rare worldwide. A similar memorial exists in Vyborg, where a T-26 command tank from the 70th Rifle Division—which fought near Vilanjoki (Podborovye) in March 1940—was pulled from the Gulf of Finland in 2005 and restored at the Vyborg Shipyard. This rarity helped fuel the belief that Pitkäranta possessed an equally authentic artifact.
Authentic Artifact or Full-Scale Replica?
Despite popular belief, historical records tell a very different story. While the monument was officially unveiled in 2005 to mark the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe, the tank currently overlooking the streets of Pitkäranta never saw wartime combat.
In reality, the display is a full-scale replica of an early T-26 command tank, complete with riveted armor plating and a distinctive frame antenna. The Pitkäranta Council of Entrepreneurs commissioned the replica from the Central Studio of Model Makers and Technical Creativity, purchasing it specifically for the town memorial.
“While local lore celebrates the heroic retrieval of a sunken tank, historical accounts reveal a detail patriotic narratives often omit: the original combat vehicle was actually sold off.”
What Happened to the Original T-26 Tank?
Records confirm that a genuine 1939-model T-26 tank—the final production variant of the series—was indeed recovered in 1999 near Petäjäsaari Island and brought to St. Petersburg for restoration.
“There was no crew inside the tank. Inside, investigators found a double ammunition load of 45 mm shells and a Finnish Suomi submachine gun. The tank crew apparently managed to take the vehicle’s standard weapons with them when abandoning the sinking tank.”
Unverified reports and collector accounts indicate that after its restoration, the original wartime tank was sold to a private collector in the United Kingdom for approximately $26,000. To preserve the town’s commemorative plans, local business leaders arranged for the high-quality replica to take its place.
The Legacy of T-26 Tanks in Karelia
Regardless of its origin, the Pitkäranta monument remains a deeply meaningful tribute to the fierce fighting that took place across Karelia. During the brutal winter of 1939–1940, as many as 150 T-26 tanks provided vital armored support to Red Army rifle divisions fighting across the region.
Among those who commanded these vehicles was Captain Yevgeny Mikhailovich Rudakov (1907 – February 25, 1940), commander of the 394th Separate Tank Battalion (72nd Rifle Division, 15th Army). Captain Rudakov lost his life during the intense clashes around Pitkäranta and was posthumously awarded the title Hero of the Soviet Union on May 20, 1940.
Today, the memory of Captain Rudakov and his comrades lives on not only through the T-26 memorial, but also across the region’s geography, where numerous streets and avenues still bear their names.
