Ukraine Removes Soviet Emblem from Massive Kyiv Monument

Ukrainian authorities began work to remove the Soviet Union’s hammer-and-sickle emblem from the Motherland Monument in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, July 30, in order to replace it with the Ukrainian coat of arms, authorities said.

The “main elements” of the Soviet emblem would be removed on August 1, according to officials. The Ukrainian trident symbol would be installed in its place in time for Independence Day celebrations on August 24, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture said.

The Soviet emblem, emblazoned on a shield held by monument’s “mother” statue, had been a part of the monument since it was erected in 1981. The shield would remain and the emblem would be transferred to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, according to DIAM, Ukraine’s architecture and urban planning agency.

In a press release on July 13, DIAM said a poll of 800,000 Ukrainians in 2022 showed that 85 percent were in favor of the Soviet emblem being replaced by Ukrainian trident.

The removal comes as part of widespread “decommunization” efforts that began in 2015 but increased after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

On May 3, Ukraine’s parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, passed a law allowing for the removal of any monuments celebrating the Communist Party, the Soviet Union, or any aspects of Russian or Soviet imperialism. Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko called the bill an “anti-Pushkin law”, after noting that hundreds of streets in Ukraine are named for the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin.

--------

Bloomberg Quicktake brings you global social video spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world.

Connect with us on…

[loneranger]

Even the Germans are preserving Soviet monuments.

[chaosbringer]

Taking apart history is never a good sign, it makes one forget one’s past

[АлексейПолугрюмов]

If you tear down monuments because you think they are not yours, you are not on your own turf.

[opentam]

If you are hindered by language, streets, city names and monuments in your country, then perhaps you are building a country not on your land

[DanteGabriel-lxbq]

I don't see how this is a protest to Russian aggression. The USSR wasn't just Russia. It was a union that defeated fascism, and Ukraine is welcoming that by removing the Soviet memorials. This is a huge mistake, Kyev. Whoever wants to remove history is bound to repeat it.

[slip_knxt]

Ukraine was born from the Soviet Union under Lenin’s directive. Kind of ironic how they decided to pull down what actually created their identity.

[boggisthecat]

The irony. A country that only exists as a nation state due to the Soviet Union.

[uglaegilsdottir]

They shouldn't have done it! It was the Great Victory of the entire Soviet people over Nazi Germany! The Nazis did not consider Russians, Ukrainians, or Belarusians to be human, and they killed right and left, burning villages and settlements, and driving Ukrainians to concentration camps in Germany. Ukraine suffered greatly during the years of the Second World War. My grandfather defended Ukraine in 1941-1945! My Grandmother's village was burnt to the ground. Strange people live in Ukraine - Ivans, who do not remember their history.

[Chaz-YT-go]

Bro i know Ukraine hates the USSR but this is such a famous symbol of their past, this isn't a good idea

[NickAndriadze]

Live footage of cowards afraid of their past trying to destroy it.

[Hans-jlml]

Cancellare i simboli della Storia, non cancella la Storia. A meno che non si voglia sostituire la Storia con le favole della nonna.

[taopok]

That's not nice. Imagine how much hours of work the soviets spent on this monument just to get torn down in minutes.

[Kahruu]

There making a mistake by doing this the preservation of history should be prioritized over political events all these countries tearing down Soviet monuments are making a big mistake

[Sea_harrier]

Germnay the last one standing and the only country that preserves history and doesn't falls to crying people

[antoniomirakian]

Que estupidez! Eso es historia! Es como que vamos a derribar todas las estatuas o monumentos romanos egipcios babilonicos etc, por que un dia o en un tiempo hicieron cosas malas

[Hunterrobinson-uf]

Ukraine was part of the Soviet Union, considering I found out after some research. Disrespectful. 🙂‍↔️🇷🇺

[Soup.studio]

A country (ussr) saved ukraine form germany and this is ukraine thanks....

[Regulus-IV]

Ничего, скоро будет опять на старом месте.

[nikhil-zzmr]

In the present situation, I stand with Russia. Ukraine broke its agreement with Russia by getting aides from the USA to join NATO. Russia has all rights to protect her interests.

[paulwilson]

Idiocracy. The Soviet Communists gave Ukraine everything it has now. This was often done at the expense of Russia. Many people like to remember the famine of 1932, but then Russia and Kazakhstan also suffered. As for the population, before the collapse of the USSR, the population of Ukraine was growing. After 1993, the population of Ukraine quickly dies out and moves away.