Giant Lenin No Longer Watches City

A colossal statue of Vladimir Lenin that towered over the Kyrgyz city of Osh has been taken down, closing a Soviet chapter with little ceremony or protest. The 75-foot monument, which dates to 1975 when Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union, was removed last week, the AP reports. Photos later appeared online of the statue horizontal after being lowered by a crane. Lenin is slated to be replaced by a flagpole, mirroring a recent change in the capital, Bishkek. Officials did not say where the statue was going.

The removal of Soviet-era statues has sparked debate and protest in other places in former Soviet republics. But officials in Osh called the operation routine, part of a planned effort to update the city's appearance. In a statement, the government said the removal was "common practice" aimed at enhancing the area's "architectural and aesthetic appearance." Saying that similar actions have taken place is Russian cities such as St. Petersburg, officials advised the citizenry that the dismantling "should not be politicized." (A statue of Joseph Stalin, on the other hand, has been returned to a subway station in Moscow.) (This content was created with the help of AI. Read our AI policy.)