Kyrgyzstan has recently undertaken the task of dismantling a towering statue of Vladimir Lenin, which has loomed over the city of Osh for the last half-century. Erected during the Soviet era, the 23-meter monument was removed earlier this week, sparking a variety of reactions. Images released on Saturday depicted the statue being lowered by a crane and positioned on the ground.
The removal corresponds with a broader trend observed in several former Soviet republics, where there is a conscious effort to move away from past affiliations with Russia. However, local officials have sought to emphasize that the statue's dismantling is merely part of a standard practice to enhance the urban landscape rather than a politically charged statement.
City Hall in Osh, which is the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, stated that the statue's relocation is aimed at uplifting the "architectural and aesthetic appearance" of the area and pointed to other instances of such monuments being removed in Russia. This comes in the context of recent events, including Russia's unveiling of a new statue of Josef Stalin in Moscow, demonstrating the delicate balance Kyrgyz authorities must maintain in their relations with Russia.
The vacant space left by the statue will be filled with a flagpole, similar to actions taken when another Lenin statue was removed in Bishkek. With Kyrgyzstan having declared independence 34 years ago following the Soviet Union's collapse, remnants of this past, such as the naming of Lenin Peak, still persist throughout the country.
The removal corresponds with a broader trend observed in several former Soviet republics, where there is a conscious effort to move away from past affiliations with Russia. However, local officials have sought to emphasize that the statue's dismantling is merely part of a standard practice to enhance the urban landscape rather than a politically charged statement.
City Hall in Osh, which is the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, stated that the statue's relocation is aimed at uplifting the "architectural and aesthetic appearance" of the area and pointed to other instances of such monuments being removed in Russia. This comes in the context of recent events, including Russia's unveiling of a new statue of Josef Stalin in Moscow, demonstrating the delicate balance Kyrgyz authorities must maintain in their relations with Russia.
The vacant space left by the statue will be filled with a flagpole, similar to actions taken when another Lenin statue was removed in Bishkek. With Kyrgyzstan having declared independence 34 years ago following the Soviet Union's collapse, remnants of this past, such as the naming of Lenin Peak, still persist throughout the country.
