The controversial Bronze Soldier of Tallinn monument, vandalized in protest of the Russian invasion on Ukraine, 12 April 2022.

During the Russian invasion of Ukraine, that had commenced in February 2022, a number of Soviet-era monuments and memorials were demolished or removed, or commitments to remove them were announced in former Eastern Bloc Soviet satellite states, as well as several other countries formerly occupied by the Soviet Union.

Background

In Ukraine, following the Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation, between 2015 and 2020, around 2,000 monuments and symbols that were linked to Ukraine's communist past were removed. In 2017 Poland passed a de-communism law requiring such communist and totalitarian regime symbols to be removed.[1]

National response

Estonia

In November 2022, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had counted 322 monuments and tombstones that may be subject to removal.[2] It was decided that 244 of these would be dismantled, with 56 removed by December 2022.[3]

Latvia

On July 14, 2022, Latvian Saeima approved the removal of 69 monuments, memorials, and other objects glorifying Soviet and Nazi regimes selected by the Heritage Administration, the Latvian Artists Union and Museum of the Occupation of Latvia.[4] By 14 November, all 69 monuments had been removed, as well as an additional 55 Nazi and Soviet glorifying objects removed on the municipalities' own initiative.[5]

Lithuania

Lithuania decided in April 2022 to complete the removal of all Russian monuments, begun in 1991, including those in cemeteries.[6]

Poland

Poland began removing monuments following the 2016 law to de-communise Poland. The invasion of Ukraine generated an increased desire to remove such items, with 20 removed by August 2022 with 40 more scheduled for removal.[7]

Ukraine

Ukraine had removed over 2,000 monuments to Russian communism by 2020 in accordance with the de-communism law of 2015, including 1,320 statues or busts of Lenin. Additional monuments were removed after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[8]

According to governor Maksym Kozytskyi, 312 monuments were removed in 2013 in Lviv Oblast. In January 2024 the Lviv Oblast became the first oblast to remove all Soviet Union-era monuments.[9]

Monuments removed

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2022)
Monument/Memorial Location Country Removal announced Removed Means of removal Ref
Narva tank [et] Narva Estonia August 16, 2022 August 16, 2022 Government removal [10][11]
"Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders" (Red Army monument) Riga Latvia May 12, 2022 August 25, 2022 Government removal [12][13][14]
Monument to the Fourth Unit of the Red Army's First Latvian Guerilla Brigade Alsviķi Parish Latvia N/A August 26, 2022 Vandalized [15]
Memorial Stone "To the Soviet Liberators of Madliena from the German Fascist Invaders" Madliena Latvia N/A April 26, 2022 Government removal [16]
Monument "To the Soviet Defenders of Liepāja"/Grenade Thrower Liepāja Latvia N/A October 25, 2022 Government removal [17][18]
Monument "To the Soviet Liberators of Daugavpils" Daugavpils Latvia N/A October 31, 2022 Government removal [19][20]
Monument "To the Liberators of Rēzekne"/Alyosha Rēzekne Latvia N/A November 9, 2022 Government removal [21][22]
World Peace monument Helsinki Finland N/A August 4, 2022 Government removal [23]
Medals from the Bronze Soldier of Tallinn Tallinn Estonia N/A 12 April 2022 Vandalized [24]
Monument to the Red Army Brzeg Poland 24 August 2022 24 August 2022 Government removal [25]
Bust of Vladimir Lenin Kotka Finland 4 October 2022 4 October 2022 Government removal [26]
Bust of Vladimir Lenin Turku Finland 28 April 2022 28 April 2022 Government removal [27]
Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army [pl] Glubczyce Poland 27 October 2022 27 October 2022 Government removal [28]
Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army [pl] Byczyna Poland 27 October 2022 27 October 2022 Government removal [28]
Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army Staszow Poland 27 October 2022 27 October 2022 Government removal [28]
Monument of Gratitude to the Red Army [pl] Bobolice Poland 27 October 2022 27 October 2022 Government removal [28]
Monument of friendship between Russia and Ukraine Kyiv Ukraine 28 April 2022 28 April 2022 Government removal [29]
Monument to the Liberator Soldier Kharkiv Ukraine N/A 23 May 2023 Vandalized
Statues of Soviet World War Two soldiers Antakalnis Cemetery, Vilnius Lithuania 22 November 2022 6 December 2022 Government removal [30]
Soviet state emblem emblazoned on the Motherland Monument statue Kyiv Ukraine 1 August 2023 1 August 2023 Government removal [31]
Monument to the Soviet Army, Sofia Sofia Bulgaria 1993 December 2023 Government removal [32]
Mykola Shchors monument Kyiv Ukraine December 2023 Government removal [33]
Nikolai Vatutin monument Kyiv Ukraine 8 February 2023 9 February 2023 Government removal [34]
Catherine the Great statue Odessa Ukraine November 2022 29 December 2022 Government removal [35]
312 unnamed statues Lviv Oblast Ukraine 2023 activists and local residents [9]
Monument to the War Glory of the Soviet Army Lviv Ukraine 23 July 2021 Government removal [9]

See also

References

  1. ^ "What Happens When Soviet Monuments Are Torn Down". October 14, 2022.
  2. ^ "Estonia counts 322 Soviet monuments and tributes to be removed". MSN. Retrieved November 21, 2022.
  3. ^ "Estonia sets aside almost €1 million for Soviet-era monument removal". January 6, 2023.
  4. ^ "Dozens of Soviet monuments on the line for dismantling in Latvia". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. July 14, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  5. ^ "Over 120 Soviet-glorifying objects taken down in Latvia". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. November 14, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  6. ^ "Lithuania topples last Soviet monuments". April 9, 2022.
  7. ^ "20 Soviet memorials removed in Poland this year and 40 to go, says head of state history body". September 28, 2022.
  8. ^ "Soviet monuments are being toppled – this gives the spaces they occupied a new meaning". September 5, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c [1]
  10. ^ "Estonian government relocates Narva tank monument". Eesti Rahvusringhääling. August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  11. ^ "Work has started to remove a controversial Soviet–era monument in Narva". Baltic News Network. August 16, 2022. Retrieved August 16, 2022.
  12. ^ "Demolition of Soviet Victory monument in Rīga". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. August 25, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  13. ^ "79 m tall obelisk of Soviet Victory Monument toppled in Pārdaugava". Baltic News Network. August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  14. ^ "Largest Soviet monument in Baltics dismantled in Riga". The Baltic Times. August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  15. ^ "Soviet monument disappears from Alūksne municipality". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. LETA. October 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  16. ^ "PHOTO | Ogre performs the first demolishing and removal of a Soviet monument". Baltic News Network. April 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  17. ^ "Video: Liepāja Soviet monument dismantled". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. October 25, 2022. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  18. ^ "Monument to Soviet army taken down in Liepaja center". The Baltic Times. August 26, 2022. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
  19. ^ "Video: Soviet monument toppled in Daugavpils". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  20. ^ "Daugavpils residents shout obscenities at construction workers removing Soviet monument; police detain 37". Baltic News Network. October 31, 2022. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
  21. ^ "Up, up and away goes 'Alyosha'". Public Broadcasting of Latvia. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  22. ^ "Alyosha's demolition starts in Rezekne; mayor calls destruction of Soviet monuments "barbarism"". Baltic News Network. LETA. November 9, 2022. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  23. ^ "Finland explains removal of monument to world peace". Big News Network. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
  24. ^ "Photos: Bronze Soldier monument in Tallinn vandalized". Eesti Rahvusringhääling. April 18, 2022. Retrieved August 23, 2022.
  25. ^ "Poland begins to dismantle Soviet-era monument". Associated Press. August 24, 2022. Retrieved August 25, 2022.
  26. ^ "Kotka removes Finland's last remaining Lenin statue". Yle.fi. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  27. ^ "Turku takes down Lenin statue". Yle.fi. April 28, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  28. ^ a b c d "Poland demolishes four Soviet WWII monuments". Big News Network.com. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  29. ^ "Ukraine ends friendship with Russia, destroys decades-old statue in Kyiv". April 28, 2022.
  30. ^ "Russia slams removal of Soviet sculptures in Vilnius". December 7, 2022.
  31. ^ "Hammer, sickle removed from giant Kyiv statue". The Manila Times. Agence France-Presse. August 2, 2023. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  32. ^ "Демонтажът на МОЧА няма да спира, обяви областната управа". OFFNews. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  33. ^ "A Soviet-era statue of a Red Army commander taken down in Kyiv". December 9, 2023.
  34. ^ (in Ukrainian) Mariinsky Park without Vatutin. The monument to the Soviet general was finally demolished, Ukrainska Pravda – Zhyttia (9 February 2023)
  35. ^ "Ukraine dismantles statue of Russian Empress Catherine the Great". December 29, 2022.
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