The city of Kyiv will remove the Peoples’ Friendship Arch from the center of the city, a monument celebrating the unification between Russians and Ukrainians in the context of the Soviet Union, the mayor of the Ukrainian capital announced today.
“Russia has shaped its attitude towards Ukraine through the brutal murders of peaceful Ukrainians, the destruction of our towns and communities and the desire to destroy our state,” Vitali Klitschko said, explaining the dismantling of the monument after the RussianUkrainian war. .
In late February, Ukraine announced the end of diplomatic relations with Russia after the Eurasians invaded Ukrainian territory as a result of Kiev’s military and economic rapprochement with the West.
The monument, inaugurated in 1982 on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Soviet Union, consists of three structures, namely:
- a bronze statue of two workers a Russian and a Ukrainian holding the Order of Friendship of Peoples, an honor bestowed during the Soviet era.
- a rainbowshaped titanium arch about 50 meters in diameter.
- and a granite monument depicting the 17thcentury Treaty of Pereslavia, the sign of Ukraine’s withdrawal from Poland and rapprochement with Russia.
The sculpture depicting the workers will be removed from the site while the monument alluding to the treaty will be covered. According to the mayor of Kyiv, the removal of the granite sculpture will require a “more complicated procedure” to be carried out in the future.
The rainbowshaped arch will remain in place, but renamed and given a new meaning, Klitschko said, noting that the structure will retain the colors of the Ukrainian flag — in this case: yellow and blue.
Picture: UOL Art.No