One of the significant landmarks in Rostov-on-Don is the monument to the Cossacks who did not return from the war, who defended the homeland and died in battles. This monument is especially important as, after 70 years of genocide against the Cossacks and the silencing of their role in the history of Russia, the memory of the feats of the Cossacks who perished or went into exile during the difficult decades of the last century is being revived. During the years of World War I, the Civil War, and the genocide of the Cossacks, several million Cossacks died or were forced to leave their lands, and most of them have no graves of their own. Each of them deserves to be remembered and to have a place to honor their ancestors. Therefore, the monument is important for all generations of Cossacks.

The monument was unveiled in September 2016, created by the renowned sculptor Anatoly Skarnin. It features sculptures of a Cossack woman and a Cossack standing by a saddled horse that has returned without its owner. A rifle and a sabre are attached to the saddle, but their owner did not return; he perished defending the homeland and his native Quiet Don.

On the marble pedestal, there is a plaque with the inscription: "To the gray sons of the Don, who gave their lives for the happiness of our Fatherland, eternal glory!" The monument is located in the city center, near the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary.