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 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.
National response Estonia In November 2022, the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had counted 322 monuments and tombstones that may be subject to removal. It was decided that 244 of these would be dismantled, with 56 removed by December 2022.
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. 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.
Lithuania Lithuania decided in April 2022 to complete the removal of all Russian monuments, begun in 1991, including those in cemeteries.
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.
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.
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.
Monuments removed
Monument/MemorialLocationCountryRemoval announcedRemovedMeans of removalRef NarvaEstoniaAugust 16, 2022August 16, 2022Government removal"Monument to the Liberators of Soviet Latvia and Riga from the German Fascist Invaders" (Red Army monument)RigaLatviaMay 12, 2022August 25, 2022Government removalMonument to the Fourth Unit of the Red Army's First Latvian Guerilla BrigadeAlsviķi ParishLatviaN/AAugust 26, 2022VandalizedMemorial Stone "To the Soviet Liberators of Madliena from the German Fascist Invaders"MadlienaLatviaN/AApril 26, 2022Government removalMonument "To the Soviet Defenders of Liepāja"/Grenade ThrowerLiepājaLatviaN/AOctober 25, 2022Government removalMonument "To the Soviet Liberators of Daugavpils"DaugavpilsLatviaN/AOctober 31, 2022Government removalMonument "To the Liberators of Rēzekne"/AlyoshaRēzekneLatviaN/ANovember 9, 2022Government removalWorld Peace monumentHelsinkiFinlandN/AAugust 4, 2022Government removalMedals from the Bronze Soldier of TallinnTallinnEstoniaN/A12 April 2022VandalizedMonument to the Red ArmyBrzegPoland24 August 202224 August 2022Government removalBust of Vladimir LeninKotkaFinland4 October 20224 October 2022Government removalBust of Vladimir LeninTurkuFinland28 April 202228 April 2022Government removal GlubczycePoland27 October 202227 October 2022Government removalByczynaPoland27 October 202227 October 2022Government removalMonument of Gratitude to the Red ArmyStaszowPoland27 October 202227 October 2022Government removalBobolice Poland27 October 202227 October 2022Government removalMonument of friendship between Russia and UkraineKyivUkraine28 April 2022 28 April 2022Government removalMonument to the Liberator SoldierKharkivUkraineN/A23 May 2023VandalizedStatues of Soviet World War Two soldiersAntakalnis Cemetery, VilniusLithuania22 November 20226 December 2022Government removalSoviet state emblem emblazoned on the Motherland Monument statueKyivUkraine1 August 20231 August 2023Government removalMonument to the Soviet Army, SofiaSofiaBulgaria1993December 2023Government removal Mykola Shchors monumentKyivUkraineDecember 2023Government removal Nikolai Vatutin monumentKyivUkraine8 February 20239 February 2023Government removal Mariinsky Park without Vatutin. The monument to the Soviet general was finally demolished, Ukrainska Pravda – Zhyttia (9 February 2023) Catherine the Great statueOdesaUkraineNovember 202229 December 2022Government removal312 unnamed statues Lviv Oblast Ukraine 2023 activists and local residentsMonument to the War Glory of the Soviet Army Lviv Ukraine 23 July 2021 Government removalAlexander Pushkin monumentRigaLatvia3 March 202330 May 2023Government removalMichael Andreas Barclay de Tolly monumentRigaLatvia16 October 202430 October 2024Government removal
See also Anti-Sovietism Decommunization Demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine Demolition of monuments to Alexander Pushkin in Ukraine
References