A Soviet-era monument in Kyiv dedicated to friendship between Ukraine and Russia is demolished as the invasion continues.
Reuters
April 28, 2022 / 03:41 PM IST
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Ukrainian authorities on April 26 dismantled a huge Soviet-era monument in the centre of Kyiv meant to symbolise friendship between Russia and Ukraine, a response to Moscow's invasion, according to the city's mayor. (Image: Reuters)
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The eight-metre (27-ft) bronze statue depicted a Ukrainian and Russian worker on a plinth, holding aloft together a Soviet order of friendship. The statue was located underneath a giant titanium 'People's Friendship Arch', erected in 1982 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Soviet Union. (Image: Reuters)
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"We now see what this "friendship" is - destruction of Ukrainian cities ... killing tens of thousands of peaceful people. I am convinced such a monument has an entirely different meaning now," Kyiv mayor Vitaly Klitschko said. (Image: Reuters)
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Workmen started by removing one of the two bronze heads, which fell to the ground with a hollow clang. (Image: Reuters)
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As a crane lifted the monument off its moorings and gradually lowered it to the ground, a crowd of around 100 people cheered and shouted "Glory to Ukraine" and other slogans. (Image: Reuters)
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"Russia invaded Ukraine ... Can we be friends with Russia? What do you think? This is our worst enemy, that is why the monument to Russian-Ukrainian friendship doesn't make sense anymore," said Serhiy Myrhorodsky, one of the designers. (Image: Reuters)
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Russia's invasion of Ukraine, launched on February 24, has left thousands dead or injured, reduced towns and cities to rubble, and forced more than 5 million people to flee abroad. (Image: Reuters)
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Moscow calls its actions a "special operation" to disarm Ukraine and protect it from fascists. (Image: Reuters)
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"We should not have any relations with the nation of aggressors... no friendship, no relations, nothing," said Diana, a young woman, who did not give her full name. (Image: Reuters)
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Klitschko said the arch would remain in place but be renamed the Arch of Freedom of the Ukrainian People. (Image: Reuters)
