List of communist monuments in Ukraine
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In
Soviet-era monuments have been made illegal by Ukrainian decommunization laws that came into force on 21 May 2015.[1] This law mandated the monuments to be removed within a six months period that started on 15 May 2015.[2]
Since
Ukrainian independence (in 1991) communist monuments were already being removed[3] and until 2014 new monuments were also erected.[4] In the aftermath of the 2013–2014 Euromaidan protests many of them were recently toppled. On 15 May 2015, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed the bill into law that started a six months period for the removal of the communist monuments.[2]
During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, many of these communist statues, which had been taken down by Ukrainian activists, were re-erected by Russian occupiers in Russian-controlled areas.[5][6][7][8]
Outlawing of communist monuments
Early attempts
On 6 October 2009, addressing participants of the Second Ecumenical Week held in
Ukrainian church. "Having destroyed age-long belief in Christ, the Communists proposed their own idols instead; the culture and faith of Ukrainians was deformed and are in need of renovation", according to Kateryna Yushchenko.[9]
Pulling down of monuments
The removal or destruction of Lenin monuments and statues gained particular momentum during the Euromaidan movement in the beginning of 2014. Under the motto "Ленінопад" (Leninopad, translated into English as "Leninfall"), activists pulled down a dozen monuments in the Kyiv region, Zhytomyr, Khmelnytskyi, and elsewhere, or damaged them.[10] In other cities and towns, monuments were removed by organised heavy equipment and transported to scrapyards or dumps.[11]
By February 25, 2014, an estimate ran of over 90 statues and monuments being pulled down, removed or relocated.[12][13] Since February 2014 and mid-April 2015, more than 500 statues of Lenin were dismantled in Ukraine, and nearly 1,700 were still standing.[citation needed]
- Pulled down:
- Andriievo-Ivanove (Odesa Oblast): Lenin statue was broken in half on January 4, 2014.[22]
- Zhytomyr and Boiarka: Lenin statues were toppled by protesters on February 20, 2014.[23]
- Khmelnytskyi: Lenin statue was mounted from 1970 to 1992. It was designed by E. Kuntsevych, architects — O. Ihnashchenko, Ye. Perekrest. It has been relocated to the park of Culture and Recreation. On February 21, 2014, it was destroyed.[24]
- tens of other locations
- Removed:
- Kyiv - on 26 August 1991 the executive committee of Kyiv voted to remove all the monuments of "Communist heroes" from public places, including the Lenin monument on the central October Revolution Square (now named Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square)).[25]
- Lviv, the Lenin statue was mounted from 1952 to 1990. It was designed by Sergey Merkurov, architect — I.O.Frantsuz.
- Sergey Kirov and a Komsomol monument were removed or taken down.[31] The statue overlooking the Dnieper Hydroelectric Station (formerly named Lenin Dam) was the largest remaining Lenin statue in Ukraine.[31]
- tens of other locations
- Relocated:
- Odesa, the Lenin statue was mounted in 1967 to 2006. It was designed by Matvey Manizer, О.М.Manizer, architects — I.Ye.Rozin, Yu.S.Lapin, М.М.Volkov. It was relocated to the park of Lenin's Komsomol.
- Sumy, the Lenin statue was mounted from 1982 to the early 2000s. It was designed by E.Kuntsevych, architects — O.Zavarov, I.Lanko. It has been relocated to the park at the city limits.
- tens of other locations
Law that outlawed the monuments
On 9 April 2015 the
totalitarian regimes” this means that be mid-2015 all communist monuments in Ukraine have to be removed.[32][33] One of the main provisions of the bill was the recognition of the Soviet Union was "criminal" and one that it "pursued a state terror policy".[33][34] On 15 May 2015 President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed the bill into law; starting a six months period for the removal of the communist monuments.[2]
In 1991 Ukraine had 5,500 Lenin monuments.Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance announced that 1,320 Lenin monuments were dismantled during decommunization.[36]
See also
- Fall of the monument to Lenin in Kyiv
- List of statues of Vladimir Lenin
- List of statues of Stalin
References
- Ukrayinska Pravda(in Ukrainian). 20 May 2015.
- ^ Ukrayinska Pravda. 15 May 2015(14 April 2015)
Poroshenko signs laws on denouncing Communist, Nazi regimes, Interfax-Ukraine. 15 May 20
Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols, BBC News - UNIAN(28-11-2008)
- UNIAN(April 22, 2008)
- ^ Harding, Luke (23 April 2022). "Back in the USSR: Lenin statues and Soviet flags reappear in Russian-controlled cities". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ Fink, Andrew (20 April 2022). "Lenin Returns to Ukraine". The Dispatch. Archived from the original on 23 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ Bowman, Verity (27 April 2022). "Kyiv pulls down Soviet-era monument symbolising Russian-Ukrainian friendship". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ Trofimov, Yaroslav (1 May 2022). "Russia's Occupation of Southern Ukraine Hardens, With Rubles, Russian Schools and Lenin Statues". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 3 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- ^ http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/western-information-agency-first-lady-calls-to-pul-50208.html , Kyiv Post (October 7, 2009)
- ^ "Ленінопад триває: вождя скинули в Каневі, Миколаєві, Херсоні". 22 February 2014.
- ^ "В Україні – Ленінопад: пам'ятники вождю падають один за одним".
- ^ "Good Bye, Lenin! Protesters Topple Soviet Statues Across Ukraine". HuffPost. 24 February 2014.
- ^ "Ленінопад: від комуністичного вождя звільнено вже 90 міст України | Експрес - онлайн". expres.ua. Archived from the original on 2014-02-24.
- ^ Vandals damage monument to Lenin in downtown Kyiv, Interfax-Ukraine (June 30, 2009)
- UNIAN(June 30, 2009)
- UNIAN(July 1, 2009)
- ^ UNIAN(November 27, 2009)
- UNIAN(November 27, 2009
- ^ Police detain two persons who threw bottle of paint at Lenin monument in Kyiv, Kyiv Post (November 27, 2009)
- ^ "Ukrainian protesters topple Lenin statue in Kiev". Reuters. 8 December 2013.
- ^ "Ławrow: Zachód nadal wywiera nacisk na Ukrainę" (in Polish). Wiadomosci.gazeta.pl. Retrieved 2022-03-16.
- ^ "Police: One more Lenin statue broken in Odesa region". 4 January 2014.
- Ukrayinska Pravda(February 20, 2014)
- ^ Паламарчук В. У парку повалили пам’ятник Леніну (ВІДЕО + ОНОВЛЮЄТЬСЯ) // Є!. - February 21, 2014
- ^ Historic vote for independence Archived 2014-03-23 at the Wayback Machine, The Ukrainian Weekly (1 September 1991)
- ^ Ukraine: the Day After
- ^ a b In East Ukraine, fear of Putin, anger at Kiev
- ^ Пам'ятник Леніну у Дніпропетровську остаточно перетворили в купу каміння "Monument to Lenin in Dnipropetrovsk finally turned into a pile of stones"
- ^ "Lenin Statue Toppled in Ukrainian City of Dnipropetrovsk".
- ^ "У Дніпропетровську демонтували черговий пам'ятник Леніну".
- ^ a b Vitaly Shevchenko (1 Jun 2016), In pictures: Ukraine removes communist-era symbols, BBC News
- ^ Ukraine Purges Symbols of Its Communist Past, Newsweek, (10 April 2015)
- ^ a b Rada bans Communist, Nazi propaganda in Ukraine, Interfax-Ukraine (9 April 2015)
- ^ Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols, BBC News (14 April 2015)
- ^ a b Out of Sight, The Ukrainian Week (28 December 2015)
- Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance(16 January 2017)
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Communist monuments and memorials built in the Ukrainian SSR.
- Monuments of Lenin Archived 2013-09-17 at the Wayback Machine
- Leninopad list
- Leninopad interactive map