Protesters have torn down a statue of Russian revolutionary Lenin in eastern Ukraine – a move unlikely to help an already fragile ceasefire.
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The monument, reportedly one of the biggest of its kind, was toppled in Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city.
The monument to the Soviet leader had been protected by a counter protest from a cull of Lenin statutes in February.
Ukrainian interior minister Arsen Avakov posted a statement on Facebook that Kharkiv police were focused on public safety rather than protecting the statue at the demonstration.
The removal of Lenin statues gained momentum during Ukraine’s anti-government protests.
Estimates claimed, by February 2014, around 90 had been torn down.
Lenin, leader of the Communist revolution in 1917, is seen as a symbol of Russian dominance.