Russia and Ukraine

[Thumpalumpacus]

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The hammer and sickle of the 200 feet tall statue known as the Fatherland Mother in Kiev is being replaced by the Ukrainian Trident.
 
I am not that happy about the event.
 
   Like most Soviet monuments, this monument is incredibly ugly. Many old soviet monuments are being distorted or completely removed in many places in Eastern-Europe because all of these new democratic nations want to distance themselves from their Soviet past. I have some reserves on that attitude. I don’t see the Soviet Union as a “dark page” in history like the Third Reich etc. As see it as an ordinary page in history like monarchies, empires, colonial empires etc. Statues of colonialist / pro-slavery personalities have been desecrated in places in England and many street names bearing the names of colonialist personalities were removed and replaced by the names of African anti-colonialist resistants’ in Germany. But should we go ahead and destroy every monument / church / palace etc. that were built by ancient Kings and Emperors? I am not in favor of keeping all Soviet monuments. But for me, this statue was a symbol of resistance of a Communist / Socialist state against complete barbarians who were the Nazis. So I think it was simply better the old way. Maybe I would have built another bigger / better statue somewhere in Kyiv as soon as the war is over. This statue is simply ugly as hell

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We you should remember is that the peoples of Eastern Europe didn't see the Soviets as liberators, but rather, as conquerors. The Ukrainians, while part of the USSR from its founding, also hated the Russians as a result of the Holodomor. So taking down the statues -- or removing the symbols -- imposed upon them by and glorifying their conquerors seems pretty understandable.