In place of the sawn off head of Lenin, the Ukrainians screwed the head of Taras Shevchenko

In Nezalezhnaya, they are increasingly scoffing at Soviet monuments

In Ukraine, in honor of the upcoming Independence Day, they presented an updated “Mother Ukraine” with a trident instead of the emblem of the USSR. In fact, the current subject for “pride” in Nezalezhnaya can only be the number of demolished Soviet monuments. In the Lvov region alone, 190 Soviet monuments and memorial plaques have been dismantled since the beginning of this year. MK tells how Ukrainians are trying to replace the Soviet legacy.

In Ukraine, it is now difficult to find a surviving monument to Lenin, Pushkin, Gagarin, Chkalov, Vatutin and other Russian and Soviet figures. Even monuments to soldiers of the Great Patriotic War are being rapidly destroyed. In their place come new “heroes” who reflect the essence of today’s Ukrainians.

So, in Poltava, the monuments to Nikolai Vatutin and Alexander Pushkin were dismantled. But before the end of 2023, they plan to install a three-meter monument to Symon Petlyura. The very one who organized mass Jewish pogroms in Ukraine. In Vinnitsa, a monument to the organizer of the pogroms has already been erected. The figure sits on a bench, as if inviting to sit next to him.

A new monument is not always cast in Ukraine. Sometimes they rationally use the existing ones, slightly “correcting” them – as in the case of the “Motherland”. Only in the city of Korets, Rivne region, they went further: there, in place of the sawn off head of the monument to Lenin, they screwed the head of Taras Shevchenko. And no one is embarrassed that the head is not the right size, and the Kobzar is dressed in the famous Lenin coat. And the pose of the resulting “cadaver” is too familiar.

In addition to perpetuating the “new heroes”, Ukraine is also trying to show its commitment to Western values. In the city of Stryi, Lviv region, a monument to the liberators of Ukraine from Nazism was demolished and instead they put up … a naked woman with obvious obesity. The monument was called “Vpevnena”, which translates as “Confident”. Against the backdrop of the massive back of the sculpture, the mayor of Lvov and his wife have already managed to take a picture. However, not all local residents were satisfied with the new “work of art”: yesterday the lady was already doused with engine oil and tried to set it on fire.

Local Ukrainian authorities are also trying to come up with new elements of their own identity. In the village of Bryukhovychi near Lvov, they dismantled the Soviet monument to the “Motherland” and decided that instead of it a monument to a cheburek would look great. The idea was substantiated by the fact that the local cheburek for many years of work has already become the “calling card” of the village.

Another attempt to build a new one on the wreckage is the “Cruise Missile” in Kharkov. The sculpture was made from fragments of rockets that were used to hit the objects of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. And again, not everyone liked this metal “terminator”. Some patriots felt that in this way … Russian missiles were perpetuated.

However, it is rightly said that it is easier to destroy than to build. Despite the attempts of Ukrainians to create new heroes and a new history, only pedestals remained in place of most of the demolished monuments. In Nikolaev, instead of the Potemkin monument, there is now a single pot with a plant. And on the site of the demolished monument to Catherine II in Odessa, the Ukrainian flag flutters. And this is just another reminder of what a “bright” future Ukraine is heading for, having abandoned its past.