A monument to the Russian and Soviet writer Maxim Gorky was dismantled in the Poltava region of Ukraine. This update emerged on a Telegram channel dedicated to decolonization in Ukraine. The statue stood in the village of Verkhnyaya Manuilovka in the Kozelshchinsky District, and reports indicate it was the last remaining monument to the author in that region.
There were earlier claims that the monument had once stood in central Kyiv before being removed. Separately, footage circulated showing the monument to the Soviet intelligence officer Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya being taken down, underscoring a broader trend of revisiting historical symbols in Ukrainian cities.
On June 23, a statement from the head of the Ukrainian military administration in Lviv reported that ten monuments had been dismantled over the prior three days in the region. The regional administration clarified that the sites affected were primarily monuments honoring Soviet soldiers and that around eighty such structures have been removed across the region since the start of the year. These actions form part of a wider policy trend aimed at redefining public spaces and the historical narrative they convey.
Historical context shows that Ukraine has pursued widespread changes since 2015, including the removal of monuments tied to Russian and Soviet history and the renaming of streets. The scope has included figures such as Empress Catherine II, military leaders, poets, and other notable personalities associated with eras before and during the Soviet period. This ongoing process reflects a deliberate shift in how public commemorations are curated and how national memory is expressed in urban landscapes. Observers note that the efforts have sparked debates about heritage, memory, and regional identity, while supporters argue that redefining these symbols helps align public spaces with current civic values and the direction of the country’s political and cultural development. The discourse continues as communities reassess what is displayed in central squares, parks, and infrastructure where monuments once stood, weighing the importance of historical accuracy against the desire to foster a shared national narrative. (Attribution: local administration statements and ongoing coverage from regional media sources)”