Ukraine Gets Rid of Soviet Symbols on Motherland Monument in Kyiv

This aerial view taken on August 6, 2023 shows steeplejacks installing the coat of arms of Ukraine on the shield of the 62-meter Motherland Monument in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
This aerial view taken on August 6, 2023 shows steeplejacks installing the coat of arms of Ukraine on the shield of the 62-meter Motherland Monument in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
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Ukraine Gets Rid of Soviet Symbols on Motherland Monument in Kyiv

This aerial view taken on August 6, 2023 shows steeplejacks installing the coat of arms of Ukraine on the shield of the 62-meter Motherland Monument in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
This aerial view taken on August 6, 2023 shows steeplejacks installing the coat of arms of Ukraine on the shield of the 62-meter Motherland Monument in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)

Workers installed Ukraine's national trident on an iconic monument depicting the Motherland in Kyiv on Sunday, replacing old Soviet symbols in one of the most visible examples of breaking away from the past and Moscow's influence.

The monument, a 62-meter-tall (200-foot) steel statue of a female warrior, was built in 1981 on top of a hill on the right bank of the Dnipro River. Gazing sternly east, the figure holds a 16-meter (52-foot) sword in her right hand and an eight-meter-long shield in her left.

Originally, the shield bore the Soviet Union's coat of arms - a crossed hammer and sickle surrounded by ears of wheat.

In late July, workers used cables to lower dismantled parts of the coat of arms to the ground. On Saturday, they began installing a 500-kg (1,100-lb) trident on the shield, but were unable to complete the work due to adverse weather and an air attack warning for the capital.

The move has its roots in a movement to “decommunize” - or shed memories of the former Soviet Union - which Ukraine has stepped up since Russia's all-out invasion last year.

That cultural shift to a stronger Ukrainian self-identity was accompanied in recent years by a political tilt to the West that infuriated Russian President Vladimir Putin and was part of his justification for invading.

Kyiv says the invasion appears to be an imperial mission to recreate the Soviet Union.

During the Maidan Revolution of 2014, demonstrators brought down statues of Vladimir Lenin, rejecting authoritarianism and communism and demanding closer ties with the European Union.

Ukraine outlawed Soviet symbols in 2015, the year after Russia annexed Crimea and backed separatist proxies in the country’s east.

Across Ukraine, hundreds of statues of Russian poets and Soviet generals were torn down or defaced, and public art and propaganda murals were covered up or removed.

Thousands of streets and dozens of towns and villages were renamed. Streets and squares previously named after Soviet party leaders or generals were given names associated with national history, prominent Ukrainians or friends of the Ukrainian people, such as the late US Senator John McCain.



Saudi Arabia’s Jusoor Exhibition in Jakarta Draws Over 150,000 Visitors on Third Day

Visitors are seen at the exhibition in Indonesia. (SPA)
Visitors are seen at the exhibition in Indonesia. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s Jusoor Exhibition in Jakarta Draws Over 150,000 Visitors on Third Day

Visitors are seen at the exhibition in Indonesia. (SPA)
Visitors are seen at the exhibition in Indonesia. (SPA)

The fifth edition of the Jusoor Exhibition, organized by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance in Jakarta, Indonesia, recorded a remarkable turnout on its third day, attracting more than 150,000 visitors, reported the Saudi Press Agency on Saturday.

Visitors expressed admiration for the exhibition's detailed models of the Grand Mosque of Makkah and the Prophet's Mosque of Madinah, crafted with high precision to capture the landmarks' intricate features.

The use of virtual reality technology, which offered visitors an immersive experience of the two holy mosques, proved particularly popular, drawing widespread engagement across all age groups and boosting the exhibition's reach within Indonesian society.

Visitors commended the initiative to distribute thousands of daily copies of the Holy Quran with Indonesian translations, courtesy of the King Fahd Complex for the Printing of the Holy Quran in Madinah.

The fifth Jusoor Exhibition reflects Saudi Arabia's ongoing efforts to foster cultural and civilizational dialogue, emphasizing its mission to serve the two holy mosques and promote the values of moderation and balance.