The statue had been unlocked during the 2014 revolution to “decommunize” public space.
Russian occupation authorities said on Saturday they had handed over a statue of Lenin to Melitopol in southeast Ukraine that had been torn down during the 2014 revolution.
The head of the Moscow-based Zaporizhia regional authority, Vladimir Rogov, posted several photos of the Bolshevik leader’s statue in the Russian-held city on social media during the first days of the offensive in late February.
“After seven years, the statue of Vladimir Lenin finds its place in Melitopol,” he said, saying that Ukrainian city authorities removed it in 2015.
Ukraine unbolted many statues of Lenin in a bid to “decommunize” public spaces after the 2014 revolution that led to the sacking of a pro-Russian president.
Also readWar in Ukraine: will the Russian army give up Kherson?
Moscow has repeatedly condemned Kiev’s attempt to distance itself from the Soviet past and Russian influence.
In Russia, almost every major city in the country has a statue of the founder of the Soviet Union in its city center.
SEE ALSO – Ukraine: Civilians in Kherson “must be kept away from ‘dangerous’ areas,” says Vladimir Putin