The Great Coat of Arms of Ukraine

Details

THE GREAT COAT OF ARMS OF UKRAINE
The metallurgical symphony: from the ashes of war, a nation’s spirit forged in steel.

Dimensions: 150 x 140 cm | 59 x 55 in
Gross Weight: ~50 kg

Provenance

The Author: Sergey Melnikoff (MFF) in collaboration with Ukrainian welder Victor Bielchyk.
This work of art was created in Odesa, Ukraine, in 2023, during a critical phase of the Russian-Ukrainian war.
Owner and Seller: The Soul of Ukraine Foundation, Inc. — a U.S.-based charitable public corporation registered under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
A 501(c)(3) tax-deductibility certificate is issued to the purchaser, allowing the full amount expended to be written off for U.S. federal tax purposes.

Further Details

The journey of The Unconquered Ukraine spanned the country, from Odesa to Kyiv, culminating in a consecration ceremony at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral. The transformative event was officiated by Archbishop Andrew, accompanied by a stirring performance from the National Honored Academic Ukrainian Folk Choir.

The Unconquered Ukraine

By Sergey Melnikoff, aka MFF
National Hero of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria
Founder, The Soul of Ukraine Foundation

A National Symbol Forged in Fire

There are moments in history when art transcends aesthetics and becomes a living, breathing testament to human courage. The Unconquered Ukraine is one such creation—a monumental sculpture that rises from the wreckage of war, shaped not by chisels or brushes, but by vision, fire, and iron torn from the battlefield.

This work is not just an object. It is an artifact of national memory, a weapon transformed into a prayer, and a tribute to the enduring will of a people who refused to be broken.

Over the course of 60 days, the visionary artist meticulously selected 1,500 shards of deadly iron from several tons of exploded ordnance to craft a unique sculpture of Ukraine’s foremost national symbol.

Photo by Mariia Universaliuk

A Nation’s Emblem Reborn

The heart of the sculpture is Ukraine’s Tryzub—the national Coat of Arms—reimagined in dramatic scale, form, and meaning. Unlike traditional castings of this revered symbol, The Unconquered Ukraine was brought to life through the meticulous selection of 1,500 shards of deadly iron, fragments harvested from exploded Russian ordnance collected on Ukrainian soil.

Each piece, once a fragment of death, is now a fragment of defiance.

It took 60 days of relentless labor—under studio lights, among sparks, and within silence—to assemble this defiant trident. The raw materials bore scars of violence: buckled steel, ruptured casings, scorched surfaces. But where others might see ruin, I saw rhythm. Composition. Meaning. From this chaos, a harmony emerged—a metallurgical symphony that sings of resistance, remembrance, and rebirth.

The sculpture The Great Coat of Arms of Ukraine at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral.

An Icon Blessed by Spirit

On November 1st, 2023, the completed sculpture was carried in solemn procession through Kyiv, arriving at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral, where it was consecrated in a powerful ceremony led by Archbishop Andrew. The sacred echoes of the National Honored Academic Ukrainian Folk Choir filled the cathedral, giving voice to what could not be said in words alone.

This blessing was not symbolic—it was transformational. It imbued the sculpture with something beyond art: a soul. In that moment, The Unconquered Ukraine became more than forged iron. It became a sacred object for a secular age.

The sculpture The Great Coat of Arms of Ukraine at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral.

A Message Etched in Steel

On the face of the sculpture, a cross formed from three rifle bullets stands in quiet but potent contrast to the weaponry that birthed it. This simple motif delivers a message clear as fire:

Weapons may wound the body, but they cannot conquer the spirit.

The piece is layered in paradox. It is brutal, yet graceful. Nationalistic, yet universal. Violent in material, yet peaceful in purpose. It does not shout—it stands.

The National Honored Academic Choir of Ukraine named after Hryhoriy Veriovka performs the State Anthem of Ukraine during the church consecration ceremony of the Grand Coat of Arms sculpture at St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral in Kyiv on November 1, 2023.

In the Footsteps of History

The Tryzub is not a modern invention. It reaches deep into the millennium—etched in the stones of Kyivan Rus, embraced by Grand Prince Volodymyr the Great, and revived in the rebirth of Ukrainian independence in 1992. To craft it now, from the torn armor and twisted shrapnel of today’s war, is to write a new chapter in its evolution—one that binds the ancient past to the living present.

Each shard in The Unconquered Ukraine carries a location, a battle, a soldier’s breath. And together, these pieces forge a symbol not just of statehood, but of survival.

On a wintry, overcast day in Kyiv, a sculpture of the Great Coat of Arms of Ukraine—crafted from fragments of artillery shells and mines—stood defiantly amid the wreckage of destroyed Russian military equipment at Saint Michael’s Square. Beside it stood two Cossack generals and veterans of the Chornobyl disaster cleanup: Viktor Balytsky (left) and Vyacheslav Padalko of the Ukrainian Association of Free Cossacks (VOVK). Survivors of one of history’s greatest nuclear catastrophes, the retired servicemen—Padalko now 80 years old—faced the camera with quiet pride, undeterred by the biting frost that gripped the capital.

A Gift of Defiance

This is not a sculpture destined for obscurity. It was created as a gift to the Ukrainian people—a mirror of their resilience. It was born in a time of darkness, but it radiates light. It speaks not just to Ukrainians, but to the world.

At a time when global attention wavers and compassion fatigues, this work stands as a permanent reminder: Ukraine is still here. Ukraine is still fighting. Ukraine is still unconquered.

Crafted from fragments of ammunition, the sculpture depicting the Great Coat of Arms of Ukraine was captured against the backdrop of Russian military equipment demolished in battle. Posing alongside the coat of arms are hereditary Cossacks Viktor Balitskyi (left) and Vyacheslav Padalko from the Ukrainian Association of Free Cossacks.

Photo by Mariia Universaliuk

Final Word

Art has long been the silent chronicler of nations in crisis. But The Unconquered Ukraine does not simply document. It transforms. It elevates. It dares to offer something beautiful in the face of brutality.

I did not create this piece as an artist alone. I created it as a witness. A chronicler. A son of free people.

Because when the cannons fall silent, and the history books are written, it will be symbols like this—birthed in fire and forged in faith—that will remain.

The sculpture The Great Coat of Arms of Ukraine was unveiled at a press conference of the Soul of Ukraine, an International Charitable Foundation. The event was dedicated to a project to establish the Mother Teresa Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Albania for Ukrainian children who lost limbs and became disabled as a result of the war unleashed by the Russian Federation against the peaceful state of Ukraine.
From left to right: Sergey Melnikoff, founder of the Soul of Ukraine Foundation; Akhmed Zakayev, Prime Minister of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria and Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees; Ihor Kurylov, Director of the National Honored Academic Ukrainian Folk Choir named after Hryhoriy Veryovka and a member of the Foundation’s Board of Trustees.
Kyiv, November 2, 2023