Ukrainian authorities on Tuesday dismantled a huge Soviet-era monument in Kyiv meant to symbolise friendship between Russia and Ukraine, a response to Moscow’s invasion.
Mayor Vitali Klitschko announced the move to pull down the “Friendship of Peoples” monument in a post on Facebook, saying the work had no place in the city following Russia’s launching of its offensive.
“Russia ‘marked’ its attitude to Ukraine with a barbaric desire to destroy our state and peaceful Ukrainians,” he said.
“We now see what this “friendship” is – destruction of Ukrainian cities … killing tens of thousands of peaceful people. I am convinced such a monument has an entirely different meaning now,” Klitschko added.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, launched on Feb. 24, has left thousands dead or injured, reduced towns and cities to rubble, and forced more than 5 million people to flee abroad.
