Demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine explained

The demolition of monuments to Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine started during the fall of the Soviet Union and continued to a small extent throughout the 1990s, mostly in some western Ukrainian towns, though by 2013 most Lenin statues in Ukraine remained standing. During Euromaidan in 2013–2014, the destruction of statues of Lenin become a widespread phenomenon and became popularly known in Ukraine as Leninopad (Ukrainian: Ленінопад, Russian: Ленинопад), a pun literally translated as "Leninfall",[1] with the coinage of "-пад" being akin to English words suffixed with "fall" as in "waterfall", "snowfall", etc.

History

See also: Decommunization in Ukraine. The demolition of Lenin monuments in Ukraine happened in four stages. During the 1990s, more than 2,000 Lenin monuments were demolished in western part of Ukraine, at the turn of the 1990–2000s more than 600 Lenin monuments were removed in western and central areas, in 2005–2008, more than 600 were demolished mainly in central areas, and in 2013–2014, 552 monuments were demolished.[2]

The first wave of demolitions of Lenin monuments happened in Western Ukraine in 1990–1991. On 1 August 1990, in Chervonohrad a Lenin monument was demolished for the first time in the USSR.[3] Under popular pressure the monument was dismantled, formally with the purpose of moving elsewhere. That same year, Lenin monuments were dismantled in Ternopil, Kolomyia, Nadvirna, Borislav, Drohobych, Lviv and other cities of Galicia.[4]

In 1991, Ukraine had 5,500 Lenin monuments. In November 2015, approximately 1,300 Lenin monuments were still standing.[5] More than 700 Lenin monuments were removed and/or destroyed between February 2014 and December 2015.[5]

On 9 April 2015, the Ukrainian parliament passed legislation on decommunization.[6] On 15 May 2015, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko signed this bill into law that started a six-month period for the removal of communist monuments (excluding World War II monuments) and the mandatory renaming of settlements with names related to Communism.[7] On 16 January 2017, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance announced that 1,320 Lenin monuments were dismantled during decommunization.[8]

A website "Raining Lenins"[9] tracks the statistics of the fall of Lenin statues in Ukraine.[4]

On 17 March 2016, the largest Lenin monument at the unoccupied territory of Ukraine, 19.8 meters high, was dismantled in Zaporizhzhia.[10] In between the annexation of the Crimean Peninsula by the Russian Federation and 28 September 2014, the largest Lenin monument at the unoccupied territory was standing in Kharkiv (20.2 m high).[11] [12] This statue of Lenin in Kharkiv was toppled and destroyed on 28 September 2014.[13]

In February 2019, The Guardian reported that the two Lenin statues in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone were the only two remaining statues of Lenin in Ukraine, if not taking into account occupied territories of Ukraine.[14] In January 2021 "Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty" located three remaining Lenin statues in three (Ukrainian controlled) small villages.[15]

During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, many of these statues of Lenin, which had been taken down by Ukrainian activists, were re-erected by Russian occupiers in Russian-controlled areas.[16] [17] [18] [19]

Motivation

See also: De-commemoration. The start of the "Leninopad" in its mass was laid by the demolition of the Lenin monument in Kyiv on the Bessarabian Square. The event took place on 8 December 2013 at around 6:00 pm. Even more people began to massively destroy monuments of the Soviet past after reports about the Euromaidan activists who died during the protests in Kyiv.

In January 2015, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine announced that it would encourage all public initiatives related to cleaning Ukraine of monuments to figures of the communist past. According to Minister Vyacheslav Kyrylenko, his department will initiate the removal from the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine of all monuments related to communist figures listed there. "The state will not oppose, but on the contrary, will in every possible way support all public initiatives that will fight for the cleansing of Ukraine from these relics of the totalitarian past," the minister emphasized.[20]

In April 2015, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine voted in favor of the draft law "On the condemnation of the communist and national socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols", which, in particular, will oblige local authorities to dismantle monuments to communist figures on the territory of Ukraine.[21]

Communist monuments toppled during Euromaidan

Euromaidan protesters toppled several statues of Vladimir Lenin in Ukrainian cities.[22] [23] [24] Some estimates said that more than 90 statues were toppled. In December 2015, The Ukrainian Week calculated that 376 Lenin monuments were removed or destroyed in February 2014.[5]

This is a partial list:

width=100px Landmark !width=120px Location !width=120px Date !width=100px Status !Notes Image
Statue of Lenin data-value="2014-01-03" 3 January 2014 Broken in two Police launched an investigation based on a Criminal Code article entitled "Destruction of, or Damage to, Monuments of History or Culture".[25]
data-value="2014-02-22" 22 February 2014 Toppled and destroyed [26]
2014 Toppled and destroyed
data-value="2014-02-21" 21 February 2014 Toppled [27]
Statue of Lenin data-value="2014-07-08" 8 July 2014 Toppled According to the Ukrainian Communist Party "a criminal case has been opened over the act of vandalism".[28] [29]
data-value="2014-09-28" 28 September 2014 Toppled and destroyed
Statue of LeninKherson7 February 2013Destroyed[30]
Statue of Lenin data-value="2014-02-21" 21 February 2014 Toppled
Statue of Lenin data-value="2014-12-05" 5 October 2014 Toppled
Statue of Lenindata-value="2013-12-08" 8 December 2013 Toppled and destroyed
data-value="2015-07-05" 5 July 2015 Dismantled by the City Council
Statue of LeninNovomoskovsk2 August 2015Toppled[31]
Statue of Lenin"Pressmash" Factory, Odesa23 October 2015Transformed into a statue of Darth Vader[32]
Statue of Lenin data-value="2013-12-08" 8 December 2013 Broken into several pieces
Statue of LeninPrylukyDismantled
Bust of LeninSievierodonetsk1 October 2014Set on fire and dismantled[33]
Statue of LeninStanytsia Luhanska16 April 2015Toppled
Statue of LeninVelyki SorochyntsiDismantled
Statue of LeninZaporizhzhia17 March 2016Dismantled[34]
data-value="2014-02-21" 21 February 2014 Toppled and destroyed

Reactions

The removal of the monuments evoked mixed feelings among the Ukrainian population.[35] In some cases, like in Kharkiv in early 2014, pro-Russian Ukrainian crowds protected the monuments, including members of the communist and socialist parties, as well as veterans of World War II and the Afghan wars.[36] The Statue of Lenin in Kharkiv was toppled on 28 September 2014.[13] Late October 2014, then Kharkiv Governor Ihor Baluta admitted that he thought that the majority of Kharkiv residents had not wanted the statue removed, but said "there was hardly any protest afterward either, which is quite telling".[37]

In January 2015, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine announced that it would encourage any public initiatives related to the cleansing of Ukraine from monuments to figures of the totalitarian communist past.[38]

See also

External links

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. News: Serhii. Shebelist. "Leninfall" – The lack of adequate commemoration policy in Ukraine provokes the new tide of the "war of monuments". day.kyiv.ua. 30 September 2013. 9 June 2016. 19 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171019114550/http://day.kyiv.ua/en/article/society/leninfall. live.
  2. News: uk:Від ленінізму до ленінопаду. https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/26770232.html. Радіо Свобода. January 2015 . 17 May 2017. uk. 2 September 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160902025100/https://www.radiosvoboda.org/a/26770232.html. live . Свобода . Радіо .
  3. The first Lenin fell in 1990: how the idol of communism was dropped, Gazeta.ua (8 December 2018)
  4. Volodymyr Semkiv, "Падай, Леніне, падай" ("Fall, Lenin, Fall", retrieved 9 June 2017)
  5. http://ukrainianweek.com/Society/154195 Out of Sight
  6. News: Ukraine to rewrite Soviet history with controversial 'decommunisation' laws . Lily . Hyde . . 20 April 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150516095241/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/apr/20/ukraine-decommunisation-law-soviet . 16 May 2015 . 17 May 2015.
  7. http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2015/05/15/7068057/ Poroshenko signed the laws about decomunization
  8. Dekomunizuvaly monuments to Lenin in 1320, Bandera set 4, Ukrayinska Pravda (16 January 2017)
    WITH 50 THOUSAND RENAMED OBJECTS PLACE NAMES, ONLY 34 ARE NAMED AFTER BANDERA, Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (16 January 2017)
  9. Web site: "Raining Lenins" . 10 June 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160820204138/http://raining-lenins.silk.co/ . 20 August 2016 . dead .
  10. Web site: В ЗАПОРІЖЖІ НАРЕШТІ ЗНЕСЛИ НАЙБІЛЬШОГО ЛЕНІНА. Фото. 29 June 2020. Історична правда. 19 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160319075613/https://www.istpravda.com.ua/short/2016/03/17/149018/. live.
  11. Web site: Харків повалив Леніна офіційно. Провокаторів попередили: до пам'ятника – зась. 29 June 2020. Українська правда. uk. 28 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140928231853/http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/09/28/7039163/. live.
  12. Web site: В Харкові звалили найбільший в Україні пам'ятник Леніну (фото, відео). 29 June 2020. www.unian.ua. uk. 30 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140930095507/https://www.unian.ua/politics/990012-v-harkovi-zvalili-naybilshiy-v-ukrajini-pamyatnik-leninu-foto-video.html. live.
  13. Web site: Ukraine nationalists tear down Kharkiv's Lenin statue. 28 September 2014. 22 April 2015. BBC News. 29 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140929075940/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29405089. live.
  14. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/feb/28/revisiting-chernobyl-cemetery-of-dreams Revisiting Chernobyl: 'It is a huge cemetery of dreams'
  15. https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-lenin-statues/31052671.html Goodbye Lenin? Not In These Ukrainian Villages
  16. News: Harding . Luke Harding . Luke . Back in the USSR: Lenin statues and Soviet flags reappear in Russian-controlled cities . 4 May 2022 . . 23 April 2022 . 4 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220504233450/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/23/back-in-the-ussr-lenin-statues-and-soviet-flags-reappear-in-russian-controlled-cities . live .
  17. News: Fink . Andrew . Lenin Returns to Ukraine . 4 May 2022 . . 20 April 2022 . 23 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220423185553/https://thedispatch.com/p/lenin-returns-to-ukraine . live .
  18. News: Bowman . Verity . Kyiv pulls down Soviet-era monument symbolising Russian-Ukrainian friendship . 4 May 2022 . . 27 April 2022 . 27 April 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220427204034/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/world-news/2022/04/27/kyiv-pulls-soviet-era-monument-symbolising-russian-ukrainian/ . live .
  19. News: Trofimov . Yaroslav . Yaroslav Trofimov . Russia's Occupation of Southern Ukraine Hardens, With Rubles, Russian Schools and Lenin Statues . 4 May 2022 . . 1 May 2022 . 3 May 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220503233746/https://www.wsj.com/articles/russias-occupation-of-southern-ukraine-hardens-with-rubles-russian-schools-and-lenin-statues-11651403176 . live .
  20. Web site: Урядовий портал :: Демонтаж пам'яток радянським діячам буде підтримано на офіційному рівні, - В'ячеслав Кириленко. kmu.gov.ua. 2016-03-13. 14 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160314064124/http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/uk/publish/article?art_id=247865172&cat_id=244276429.
  21. http://ukr.lb.ua/news/2015/04/09/301445_ukraini_znesut_usi_pamyatniki.html В Україні знесуть усі пам'ятники радянським діячам
  22. Web site: Ukraine crisis: Lenin statues toppled in protest. BBC. 22 February 2014. 21 April 2015. 5 January 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160105123905/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-26306737. live.
  23. Web site: Leninopad, Ukraine's Falling Lenin Statues, Celebrated As Soviet Symbols Toppled Nationwide (VIDEOS, PHOTOS). Huffington Post. 24 February 2014. 21 April 2015. 24 September 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150924200940/http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/24/leninopad-falling-lenins-statues-ukraine_n_4847364.html. live.
  24. Web site: Софія Середа . В Україні – Ленінопад: пам'ятники вождю падають один за одним . Radiosvoboda.org . 9 January 2014 . 3 March 2014 . 1 December 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081201194141/http://www.radiosvoboda.org/content/article/25225395.html . live .
  25. Web site: Police: One more Lenin statue broken in Odesa region. Kyiv Post. 4 January 2014. 22 April 2015. 3 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150703171934/http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/police-one-more-lenin-statue-broken-in-odesa-region-334671.html. live.
  26. Web site: Lenin Monumenet in Berdichev (Zhytomyr Oblast) – 22/02/2014. Raining Lenins. 22 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20160303213652/http://raining-lenins.silk.co/page/Lenin-Monumenet-in-Berdichev-Zhytomyr-Oblast-22-02-2014. 3 March 2016. dead.
  27. Web site: "Leninopad" continues – monuments dismantled in Dnipropetrovsk, Poltava and Chernihiv. Ukrayinska Pravda. 22 February 2014. 22 April 2015. 13 March 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140313003221/http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/02/22/7015627/. live.
  28. Web site: Another Lenin monument removed near Ukraine's Sumy. Interfax Ukraine. 8 July 2014. 22 April 2015. 3 July 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150703074442/http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/212630.html. live.
  29. Web site: Lenin Monument in Chervona Sloboda (Sumi Oblast) – 08/07/2014. 8 July 2014. Raining Lenins. 22 April 2015. 4 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304075832/http://raining-lenins.silk.co/page/Lenin-Monument-in-Chervona-Sloboda-Sumi-Oblast-08-07-2014. live.
  30. Web site: 2013-02-11 . В Херсоне ночью был разрушен памятник Ленину . bigmir.net . ru.
  31. Web site: 2015-08-02 . Айдар нашел и свалил Ленина в Новомосковске . YouTube.
  32. Web site: 2015-10-23 . Ukraine: Lenin statue given Darth Vader makeover . BBC.
  33. Web site: Glukhov . Denis . 2014-10-01 . В Северодонецке после поджога демонтировали Ленина . kp.ua . ru.
  34. Web site: У Запоріжжі остаточно демонтували найбільший в Україні пам'ятник Лєніну . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20160320091032/http://tyzhden.ua/News/160937#ad-image-0 . 2016-03-20 . 2016-03-16 . Тиждень . uk.
  35. Web site: Toppling of Lenin monument in Kyiv evokes mixed feelings. Kyiv Post. 10 December 2013. 22 April 2015.
  36. Web site: Crowd defends Lenin statue in eastern Ukraine city. BBC. 23 February 2014. 21 April 2015. 13 April 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150413035106/http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26313792. live.
  37. News: Ukraine's Second City, Kharkiv, Eludes Rebel Hands . Bloomberg BusinessWeek . 23 October 2014 . 24 October 2014 . 28 June 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150628044204/http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2014-10-23/ukraines-second-city-kharkiv-eludes-rebel-hands . live .
  38. Web site: Урядовий портал :: Демонтаж пам'яток радянським діячам буде підтримано на офіційному рівні, - В'ячеслав Кириленко. kmu.gov.ua. 27 July 2020. 14 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160314064124/http://www.kmu.gov.ua/control/uk/publish/article?art_id=247865172&cat_id=244276429. dead.

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