Shoot to kill! 1942

This Soviet propaganda poster from 1942, created by artist Nikolai Zhukov, was produced during the most brutal phase of the Eastern Front. It depicts a Red Army soldier in the ruins of a city, gripping his weapon with fierce determination as he fights against advancing German forces. A poster on the wall behind him shows a woman with the words “Воин красной Армии, спаси!” (“Warrior of the Red Army, save us!”), a reminder of the civilian population and homeland he is defending. The soldier’s grim expression and tense body capture the life-or-death struggle of Stalingrad and other urban battles. At the bottom, the slogan “Бей насмерть!” (“Shoot to kill!”) urges uncompromising resistance against the invaders. The poster embodies both patriotic duty and the call for total sacrifice in the fight for survival.