Kyiv takes down Soviet-era signs, replaces hammer-and-sickle symbol with trident coat of arms

Kyiv [Ukraine], August 8 (ANI): Ukraine has taken down Soviet-era signs from a hilltop monument in Kyiv and replaced the hammer-and-sickle symbol with a trident coat of arms, CNN reported. 

Kyiv this week changed the Soviet hammer and sickle sign to a trident, the Ukrainian coat of arms, on the shield of the Motherland Monument, which dominates the skyline of the capital.

“We believe that this change will be the beginning of a new stage in the revival of our culture and identity, the final rejection of Soviet and Russian symbols and narratives,” the Ukrainian culture ministry said. The week-long operation to dismantle the Russian insignia was finished on August 6, according to the ministry.

This comes in the midst of a conflict when the country has struggled to define its cultural identity in the face of Russian aggression, CNN reported.

The monument, a 102-meter-tall monolith that dominates its surroundings, is made of steel. The woman clutching the sword and the shield bearing the Soviet hammer and sickle was shown in the 1979-built monument.

It was emphasised on Sunday by the Russian Foreign Ministry that “mother cannot be renamed,” as per CNN.

Using the Russian spelling of Kiev, Maria Zakharova, the ministry’s spokeswoman, wrote on Telegram, “In Kyiv, a trident was installed atop the monument Motherland.” As part of its pre-war attempts to do away with outdated Soviet designations and forge a stronger sense of national identity, the Ukrainian government launched a push to change the name of the city from Russian Kiev to Ukrainian Kyiv.

“This is the whole essence of the Kiev regime and the cyborgs led by it. Mother cannot be renamed. She is one. And the only thing you can do with it is to love. And they don’t know how.”

A major driving force behind the war has continued to be Putin’s goal to undercut Ukrainian national identity and autonomy, according to CNN.

Putin claimed Ukraine had no right to exist as a sovereign nation when the Kremlin began its invasion in February 2022, referring to the eastern region as “ancient Russian lands.”

Over the past year, shelling from Moscow has destroyed key architectural landmarks in Ukraine, most recently in the mediaeval city centre of Odesa, which UNESCO designated a World Heritage Site in response to the prospect of an invasion by Russia.

Recently, Kyiv has seen significant development. The 816-meter-long Moscow Bridge, which spans the Dnieper River, was renamed the Northern Bridge in 2018, CNN reported.