Ukraine Replaces the Soviet Symbol on the Motherland Monument

The Motherland Monument — a 335-foot-tall stainless steel behemoth towering over Ukraine’s capital — was unveiled in 1981 and designed to assert Soviet invincibility.

By Cassandra Vinograd and Sarah Eckinger

Ukraine has replaced the Soviet emblem on one of Kyiv’s most prominent monuments with its own coat of arms, part of a broader push since the full-scale invasion to stamp out tributes to Russian power.

The Motherland Monument — a 335-foot-tall stainless steel behemoth towering over Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital — was designed to assert Soviet invincibility. Unveiled in 1981, the monument is a figure of a woman raising a sword in her right hand and a shield in her left. The shield was emblazoned with the Soviet hammer and sickle.

Workers in Kyiv started removing the Soviet emblem from the shield of the monument late last month. On Sunday, the Ukrainian trident was mounted to replace it.

President Vladimir V. Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has stirred a re-evaluation in the country of monuments to even pre-communist historical figures associated with Russia.

Soviet statues seen as tributes to Russian power also have come down or been slated for demolition in several European countries.