Countries Dismantle Soviet-Era Monuments as Russia's Ukraine Invasion Fuels Tensions
Traces of the Soviet past are disappearing from countries in eastern Europe as part of their wider efforts to distance themselves from Russia following its invasion of Ukraine.
Countries that had been within Moscow's orbit during the Soviet period — particularly Poland and the Baltic states — have moved to remove Soviet-era monuments from their public spaces.
Here's a look at some of the monuments that have been dismantled in recent months:
Countries that had been within Moscow's orbit during the Soviet period — particularly Poland and the Baltic states — have moved to remove Soviet-era monuments from their public spaces.
Here's a look at some of the monuments that have been dismantled in recent months:
The Monument to the Liberators of Riga was demolished in Latvia on August 25.
TASS
A monument to Red Army soldiers was dismantled in Chrzowice, Poland on March 23.
Radio Opole
A Red Army monument being removed in Sieldce, Poland on April 20.
Mikolaj Bujak / National Remembrance Institute / TASS
A monument to Soviet soldiers was dismantled in Marijampole, Lithuania on April 22.
Pan Swiridowtelegram / telegram
A sculpture titled "Soldier" was removed from the Soviet cemetery in the Lithuanian city of Kaunas on April 26.
kaunas.lt
A monument to Red Army soldiers was dismantled in the Latvian village of Madliena on April 26.
RUS LSM
A sculpture of a Soviet soldier located in the Kedainiai cemetery in Lithuania was dismantled on April 27.
Kedainiai Local Government
A Soviet obelisk was dismantled in the Lithuanian city of Palanga on May 19.
Wojsyl (CC BY-SA 3.0)
A monument to Soviet soldiers in the city of Merkine, Lithuania, was demolished on May 20.
baltics.news
The Monument to Soviet Soldiers-Liberators in the Lithuanian city of Klaipeda was dismantled on July 5.
Patrik Nylin (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The monument to the builders of the Narva Power Plants in Estonia, was torn down on Aug. 7.
freebalt.com
Finnish officials moved to dismantle the "World Peace" sculpture in Helsinki, which had been donated by the city of Moscow in 1990, on Aug. 8.
yle.fi
A monument to Soviet army officer Igor Grafov was dismantled in Narva, Estonia on Aug. 16.
Narva is located along the border with Russia and is home to many ethnic Russians.
Narva is located along the border with Russia and is home to many ethnic Russians.
Minnekon (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Memorial plaques were removed from Petrovskaja Square in Narva, Estonia on Aug. 16.
Eero Vabamägi / IMAGO / Scanpix / TASS
On Aug. 16, a Red Army obelisk in Narva Castle Park was dismantled.
Alexei Reshetnikov (CC BY 3.0)
The "Three bayonets" monument was dismantled in Narva, Estonia on Aug. 16.
Nikolay Sukhanov (CC BY-SA 4.0)
A T-34 tank was dismantled in Narva, Estonia on Aug. 16.
moondragon_wkad / twitter
