Seeking to eliminate Soviet and Russian symbols from its public spaces, Ukraine on Tuesday completed the removal of the communist hammer and sickle emblem from the Mother Motherland monument in Kiev.
The iconic monument, one of the tallest statues in Europe, will be modified with the emblem replaced by the Ukrainian national trident, which is also the country’s coat of arms. The move is scheduled to be finalized before Ukraine’s Independence Day, celebrated on 24 August.
The monument, which was inaugurated in 1981 as a symbol of victory over the Nazis in World War II, will also be renamed Mother Ukraine instead of Motherland. The project, which has an estimated cost of 690,000 euros, is being funded by private donors, local newspaper Ukrainska Pravda reported.
The process of removing the Soviet emblem, which featured a hammer and sickle surrounded by a garland of corn cobs, was accompanied by the acting Ukrainian Minister of Culture, Rostyslav Karandeev. He highlighted the historical importance of the event, noting that Ukraine is shedding the vestiges of its Soviet past.
This change is part of a broader project to eliminate Soviet and Russian references from public spaces, driven after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Mother Motherland statue, 102 meters high, including the pedestal, and weighing 450 tonnes, it is one of the most iconic spots in Kiev. Representing a proud female figure with a sword and shield, the monument occupies a prominent place on the banks of the Dnieper River, which divides the city.
The removal of the hammer and sickle, which will later be displayed at the Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II, follows the Ukrainian Parliament’s decision in 2015 to condemn totalitarian regimes, including the Soviet one, and ban the display of their symbols in public spaces.
The Motherland, a landmark that has already become an integral part of the Ukrainian capital’s identity, has withstood a century of Soviet and Russian influence. While initially a shared symbol of the Soviet homeland, the female figure who wields sword and shield has turned into an icon of Ukraine’s resistance to Russian domination.
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