122 mm howitzer M1938 (M-30)

This preserved M-30 howitzer is a Soviet medium field artillery piece from World War II displayed as an outdoor memorial in Kharkiv. Introduced in 1938 and produced in vast numbers, the M-30 saw service across virtually every sector of the Eastern Front; captured examples were also pressed into service by the Wehrmacht. The exhibit carries particular local resonance in Kharkiv, a city that changed hands four times during the war and endured some of the conflict's bloodiest urban fighting. For visitors with an interest in military history, it offers a tangible artifact of Soviet wartime industry and the brutal campaigns that shaped this region.