In Azov, one of the Soviet monuments is the bust of Yuri Gagarin, unveiled in 1988. The history of this monument began in the 1970s when the famous Rostov sculptor Olga Kokanovskaya, whose works were exhibited at all-Union art exhibitions, proposed to establish a monument to the first cosmonaut. She gifted a cast-iron bust to a local school, where it lay in the schoolyard for 15 years. Later, the director of the boarding school invited architect Fomenko to discuss where to place the sculpture. The chief architect decided that there was no suitable place on the school grounds. Other options were considered, such as the 'Berezka' square and Karl Marx Avenue (now Petrovsky Boulevard), but ultimately the park was chosen.

Before the unveiling, the bust was refreshed, and local artists Bedevko and Maksimenko covered it with a mixture of graphite and varnish. The opening of the monument was timed to coincide with Cosmonautics Day and took place on April 12, 1988, in the central city park 'Pearl of Azov.'