Authorities in Osh, Kyrgyzstan, have eliminated a 75-foot (23-meter) statue of Soviet chief Vladimir Lenin, as soon as believed to be the tallest in Central Asia
LONDON — Authorities within the second-largest metropolis in Kyrgyzstan, Osh, have eliminated a towering statue of Vladimir Lenin regarded as the tallest of the revolutionary Soviet chief in Central Asia.
The 23-meter (75-foot) monument was erected in 1975 when Kyrgyzstan was a part of the Soviet Union. Pictures appeared on-line Saturday exhibiting the statue flat on the bottom after being lowered by a crane.
Whereas many nations previously a part of the Soviet Union have moved to downplay their ties to Russia as a part of efforts to reshape nationwide identification, the monument was taken down with little public fanfare and officers in Osh framed the elimination as routine metropolis planning.
In an announcement, Osh Metropolis Corridor referred to as the transfer “frequent apply” geared toward enhancing the “architectural and aesthetic look” of the realm.
Officers additionally famous that Lenin monuments have been “dismantled or moved to different locations” in Russian cities together with St Petersburg and Belgorod, and mentioned that the problem “shouldn’t be politicized.”
The monument, they mentioned, might be changed by a flagpole, as was the case when a unique Lenin statue was relocated within the capital, Bishkek.
The transfer got here per week after Kyrgyzstan’s ally Russia unveiled a monument to brutal Soviet dictator Josef Stalin at considered one of Moscow’s busiest subway stations.