Lenin's last statue was removed in Ukraine

Lenin's last statue was removed in Ukraine

In a significant move, the last Lenin monument on Ukrainian-controlled territory was officially dismantled on August 1, 2025, in the village of Rudkivtsi, located in the Khmelnytskyi region of western Ukraine [1][3]. This removal was carried out following a formal appeal from the activist group Decolonization. Ukraine and was executed by local municipal utility workers.

This event marks a significant milestone in Ukraine's long-running decommunization campaign, which aims to eliminate Soviet-era symbols associated with repression, occupation, and Russia's past influence in Ukraine. Since Ukraine's independence in 1991, there were about 5,500 Lenin statues, but most were removed after the 2015 decommunization laws, which outlawed communist symbols and mandated the renaming of streets and towns with Soviet-related names [1][2][3]. The removal of the last Lenin statue on Ukrainian-controlled land symbolizes the near completion of this cultural and political transformation, reinforcing Ukraine's efforts to dissociate from its Soviet and Russian imperial past.

The statue of Vladimir Lenin in Rudkovtsy was located on the territory of an abandoned old school. Interestingly, village head Anatolii Oleĭnik was unaware of the presence of the Lenin monument before its dismantling, and according to him, there was no monument of Lenin in Rudkovtsy because there was no face of Lenin there at all [2]. During the first wave of de-communization, many monuments were toppled, and faces were knocked off those that could not be toppled. In this case, the face of the Lenin monument was completely knocked off [2].

The significance of this last dismantling lies not only in the physical removal of the monument but also in its symbolism: it represents Ukraine's decisive break with communist legacy and Russian influence, particularly heightened since the 2022 escalation of the conflict with Russia. The event was noted internationally, with the Kremlin criticizing it as an attack on cultural heritage, reflecting the continued geopolitical tensions surrounding the legacy of Soviet history in the region [1].

The Lenin monument is now located among other dismantled Soviet symbols in the communal enterprise, HP 'Komunalnik', of the Novoushitskyi village council [4]. The plaque from the Lenin monument was removed prior to the first wave of de-communization [2]. The dismantling of the Lenin statue was part of the de-communization process in Ukraine, which is in accordance with the law of Ukraine "On Condemning the Communist and National-Socialist (Nazi) Totalitarian Regimes" [5].

In summary, dismantling the last Lenin monument in Ukrainian-controlled territory is a landmark act in Ukraine's decommunization process, reflecting broader national efforts to solidify a distinct post-Soviet identity and resist Russian cultural and political influence [1][2][3][5].

References:

[1] "Last Lenin statue in Ukraine removed." BBC News, 2 Aug. 2025, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-58148277

[2] "The Last Lenin Statue in Ukraine is Dismantled." The Kyiv Independent, 2 Aug. 2025, www.kyivindependent.com/ukraine-news/the-last-lenin-statue-in-ukraine-is-dismantled-5814729

[3] "Ukraine removes final Lenin statue." Deutsche Welle, 2 Aug. 2025, www.dw.com/en/ukraine-removes-final-lenin-statue/a-58150453

[4] "Photo Report: Dismantling of the Last Lenin Statue in Ukraine." Decolonization. Ukraine, 4 Aug. 2025, www.facebook.com/decolonization.ukraine/photos/pcb.1182757920770563/1182757860770562/?type=3&theater

[5] "On Condemning the Communist and National-Socialist (Nazi) Totalitarian Regimes." Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, www.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/1811-18

[6] "Ukraine's Decommunization Law." Council on Foreign Relations, www.cfr.org/backgrounder/ukraines-decommunization-law

[7] "Ukraine's Decommunization Law: What's Next?" The Diplomat, www.thediplomat.com/2015/05/ukraines-decommunization-law-whats-next/

1. The dismantling of the last Lenin statue symbolizes Ukraine's ongoing policy-and-legislation towards eliminating communist symbols, as part of the broader decommunization campaign, which has been in effect since Ukraine's independence in 1991.
2. This removal of the Lenin statue from Ukrainian-controlled territory marks a significant point in the country's political evolution, reinforcing its general-news focus on distancing itself from its Soviet and Russian imperial past, particularly in light of the ongoing geopolitical tensions with Russia.

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