Ukraine Removes Soviet Monuments and Reframes Public Spaces
Recent reports from the Telegram channel Decolonization. Ukraine indicate that several monuments honoring Soviet soldiers in the Lviv region have been removed. The channel specifies that three villages—Grushev, Voloshcha, and Turka—no longer host these memorials. The removals are part of a broader shift in how public spaces reflect the country’s 20th‑century history. [citation: Decolonization. Ukraine]
In July, authorities in Belgorod-Dnestrovsky, located in the Odessa region, chose not to dismantle the Zoya Kosmodemyanskaya monument near a local school, a decision that drew local debate and international attention. This instance illustrates the ongoing, uneven process of reassessing commemorations tied to different eras and figures from the Soviet period. [citation: Decolonization. Ukraine]
Elsewhere in Ukraine, another emblematic dismantling occurred in Kamianske, Dnipropetrovsk region, where a monument dedicated to Leonid Brezhnev, longtime General Secretary of the CPSU Central Committee, was removed. The action signaled a continuing move away from visible Soviet symbols in public life. [citation: Decolonization. Ukraine]
Also in Kyiv, a monument honoring Soviet General Nikolai Vatutin was taken down, reinforcing the national conversation around memory, heritage, and how past leadership is publicly commemorated. [citation: Decolonization. Ukraine]
Since 2015, Ukraine has pursued a widely publicized program of decommunization. The policy has involved dismantling monuments tied to imperial and Soviet history and renaming streets that carried names associated with former regimes. The effort has touched a broad spectrum of figures and eras, including rulers such as Catherine the Great, military leaders like Alexander Suvorov, writers such as Alexander Pushkin, and various heroes of the Second World War. The approach has varied by locality and has sparked ongoing public discourse about national identity and historical interpretation. [citation: Decolonization. Ukraine]
There have also been discussions about where the dismantled elements of monumental complexes, such as the Motherland statue, are stored. While some communities have debated storage and repurposing options, others have focused on the immediate removal of symbols perceived as inconsistent with current national narratives. [citation: Decolonization. Ukraine]