Monument to the Soviet war veterans, Memorial site on Avala Mountain, Serbia.

The Monument to the Soviet war veterans is constructed from bronze and granite, rising approximately 5 meters on Avala Mountain near Pinosava. The structure incorporates design elements resembling broken aircraft wings and displays detailed inscriptions about the incident and those remembered.

The monument was erected in 1965, a year after an Il-18V of the Soviet Air Force struck the summit of Avala on the morning of 19 October 1964, killing all 18 people on board. Among them were Marshal Sergey Biryuzov and Colonel-General Vladimir Zhdanov, both Heroes of the Soviet Union and People's Heroes of Yugoslavia. The delegation was flying to Belgrade for the 20th anniversary of the city's liberation by the Red Army and the Yugoslav Partisans.

The monument draws annual visits from Serbian and Russian officials who pay respects through wreath-laying ceremonies honoring the fallen. These gatherings reflect the enduring connection between the two nations in remembering shared wartime sacrifices.

Access to the site involves climbing stone staircases that lead from the base to the monument. The location on a mountain slope means visitors should allow time for the climb and note that inscriptions are visible from multiple vantage points.

The aircraft crashed at this location because heavy fog obscured the pilot's vision as the plane approached the mountainside. The monument was erected precisely where the tragedy occurred, making it a marker of the exact moment in time and place.