The scope of communism proved almost too strong for Kyiv on Tuesday, as a symbolic move to dismantle a controversial Soviet monument almost failed.
Workers spent hours trying to remove a famous statue in the Ukrainian capital. Overlooking the Dnieper River, it depicts a Ukrainian and Russian worker holding hands in solidarity.
But the ritual removal of the monument turned into an afternoon battle
The statue is part of the monument to the Arch of Friendship of Peoples, built in Kyiv by the USSR in 1982 and is the first of 60 such monuments that the Kyiv City Council announced would be removed to “decommunize” and de-Russify the “capital. .
The Arch of Friendship of Peoples in Kyiv, during work on the dismantling of its central statue on Tuesday. Ashley Stewart
“The Russians destroyed our relations, they destroyed [the] friendship between our countries, “said Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko on Tuesday, following the sound of a circular working on the left leg of Russian workers.
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“We were in the Soviet Union and we don’t want to go back … we don’t want to live in a country without human rights.
The last process of decommunization in the city began on Tuesday shortly after 13:30 in front of a crowd of onlookers with the accidental beheading of the statue of the Russian worker, as her head fell off while trying to secure the monument with crane straps.
His head fell to the ground and rolled. Witnesses then began using the dismembered skull as a support to pose with or over.
Against the background of the Hijins, the work on the relocation of the monument continued.
Ironically, this Soviet-era monument simply will not move
Workers have been trying to remove it for the past 3.5 hours as part of a move to demolish 60 Soviet monuments in Kyiv. After several unsuccessful attempts, the workers took up a lever
Still left pic.twitter.com/5TuyGHdZtq
– Ashley Stewart (@Ash_Stewart_) April 26, 2022
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After about five hours of trying to remove the bronze statue from its base – first with a circular saw and a crane, and later with desperate attempts with a lever – the workers cut the statue’s legs and carefully lowered it to the ground with the crane at about 6:30 p.m.
In addition to dismantling the 60 monuments, memorials and plaques, Klitschko, who was present to observe the start of work on the statue, said 460 streets and other places in Kyiv with Russian connections would be renamed.
He said Tuesday was a “symbolic” day for the city.
“We have to be free,” he said.
“I was born in the Soviet Union. I know how big [of an] the influence of Russian and Soviet propaganda on the people. That is why we must stop Russia, stop Russian propaganda, stop world influence and stop the invasion. [in] Ukraine. ”
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Klitschko said he hoped the site of the Arch of Friendship of Peoples would be renamed Free Ukraine. The upper part of the arch will remain, but will be repainted in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.
“Our goal is to be part of democratic European families. This is actually the reason for the war, because the Russians want to restore the Soviet empire.” We were in the USSR and we don’t want it back [in it]”
Ukrainians who gathered to watch the show agreed – but many said the process of removing such monuments should have begun years, if not decades ago.
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“We no longer have friendship with Russia”
Some couples clung to each other as they watched. Others came with bottles of wine under their arms. A woman called a friend on her iPad so they could both watch it together. Many took turns posing with their heads beheaded.
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Dmitry Sobolev of Krivoy Rog, the largest city in central Ukraine with a large Russian-speaking population, poses for a photo with his foot on the head of a Russian statue. He said he felt “happy” to capture such a moment.
Dmitry Sobolev poses with the dismembered head of the Russian worker.
“That’s the way it should be,” he said.
“I feel happy now because there is no friendship between them [our] people, because this is the so-called “friendship”, because the enemy has come and civilians and children are being killed. We see bombings and destruction every day. My heart is breaking and now there are tears in my eyes. ”
Other Ukrainians who gathered to watch the dismantling process repeated similar statements.
Irina Zhivuluk, who came with her parents, said her family was “very happy” with the removal of the monuments. She said her parents did not remember Soviet times well.
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“We are no longer friends with Russia. “It’s a historic moment, but I also think it had to be done 30 years ago,” she said.
Poplavsky, Yuri, who was holding his wife as they watched the workers try to move the statue, said it was an important moment in the “end of Russian propaganda” but was long overdue.
The crowd gathered around the monument after it was dismantled on Tuesday night. (Photo by Genya SAVILOV / AFP).
“But it’s not just about this monument, it’s about Russian propaganda and Russian stories,” he said.
“It simply came to our notice then [Russian] language, army and beliefs. “
Yuri recently returned to his home in Kyiv after being evacuated to the western part of the country for several weeks. He said it was difficult to say whether he felt safe now, but hoped so.
Historical concern with the statue
The Arch of Friendship of Peoples has long been a controversial landmark for Kyiv.
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His year of graduation in 1982 coincided with three important dates for the Soviets: the 60th anniversary of the USSR, the 1500th anniversary of the founding of Kyiv, and the 65th anniversary of the October Revolution.
A statue of a Russian soldier was accidentally beheaded in Kyiv while trying to dismantle it. Ashley Stewart
But its Soviet ties and public concern over its importance were ignored as it became a tourist attraction, in part because of the spectacular views of the city and the river.
In 2016, Ukrainian Culture Minister Yevhen Nishchuk announced that the entire complex, including the arch, would be dismantled as part of Ukraine’s ongoing efforts to decommunize the country. For their part, they would replace it with a monument to the war in Donbass. However, the lack of funding and concerns about its impact on tourism mean that this has never happened.
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In 2018, human rights activists painted a large crack at the top of the arch to illustrate the problematic ties between the two countries.
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In a statement on the dismantling of monuments when the relocation was announced on Monday, Kyiv City Council member Ksenia Semenova said removing the monument was necessary to “protect Kyiv’s cultural space and minimize the cultural impact of pro-Russian narrative on the worldview of the people of Kyiv and guests of the capital.
“We need to get rid of memorials that perpetuate Russian, imperial, communist and anti-Ukrainian figures, events and symbols forever,” she said.
– with files from Crystal Goomansigh.
© 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
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