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Estonia

Estonia to remove Soviet-era monuments to 'ensure public order'

"As symbols of repressions and Soviet occupation, they have become a source of increasing social tensions," said Estonia's PM, Kaja Kallas.

Scenes

Meet the 13-year-old restoring old Soviet tech in Georgia

In partnership with Media City

“The markets for old tech in Tbilisi are glorious. There's nothing digital around and there are moments that feel a little bit like Bladerunner."

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Candles lit as St Petersburg remembers WW2 invasion

STORYLINE: Some 150 volunteers arranged 50-thousand candles in St Petersburg early on Wednesday to commemorate the 81st anniversary of Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union.

Culture news

'Rock star' Russian dissident Limonov gets film tribute

Ben Whishaw will play the founder of the National Bolshevik Party in a film by Russian director Kirill Serebrennikov, who was recently released from a suspended prison sentence.

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Ukraine

Ukraine's first President Leonid Kravchuk dies aged 88

Kravchuk was a driving force in Ukraine’s declaration of independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

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Russian envoy to Poland splattered with red liquid on Victory

Russian envoy to Poland splattered with red liquid on Victory

Belarus

Belarus' first president Stanislav Shushkevich dies aged 87

Shushkevich is best known for informing Mikhail Gorbachev about the end of the Soviet Union and leading Belarus to independence.

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Soviet 'friendship monument' taken down in Kyiv

Ukrainian authorities dismantled the Monument of People's Friendship on Tuesday, a statue overlooking the Dnieper River in Kyiv, representing Russian-Ukrainian friendship.

My Europe Series

From Pushkin to Gagarin, Ukraine removes Russia one symbol at a time

A statue of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin was removed in April. Now other parts of Ukraine are questioning why Soviet-era monuments remain.

Czech Republic

Czech MPs vote to recognise Soviet-era famine in Ukraine as genocide

Up to four million people are believed to have died during the great famine between 1932 and 1933.

My Europe Series

For Soviet-Afghan war veterans, Ukraine is a conflict 'without honour'

Iurie Cibuc, 62, was proud to fight for the Soviet Union in Afghanistan. He doubts that a new generation of Russian soldiers feel the same about the war in Ukraine.

Lithuania

Lithuanians accuse ex-Soviet leader Gorbachev of war crimes

The former Soviet leader is accused of ordering an attack on Vilnius in January 1991, which killed 14 people.

Russia

It's 30 years since the collapse of the Soviet Union

The USSR was formally dissolved on 26 December 1991.

My Europe Series

Mikhail Gorbachev tried to get Russia on the wagon. He failed

Mikhail Gorbachev is remembered for dismantling the USSR and bringing about the end of Communism in the Soviet Union, but when he took power in 1985 his ambitions were far less radical.

Russia

Hail Vladimir? Putin says he drove a taxi after Soviet Union's fall

Putin once called the collapse of the Soviet Union "the greatest geopolitical catastrophe of the 20th century".

Culture news

Saving Culture: Meet the man preserving Russia's forgotten voices

A digitisation project that catalogues tape recordings from as early as 1890 is reconnecting Russia with forgotten voices, stories and songs from its Arctic north.

Destinations

Visit Transnistria: The breakaway state that's in the Champions League

If you’re looking to visit somewhere really off-the-beaten-track, the self-declared independent state of Transnistria should have you fumbling for your passport.

My Europe Series

How Ukraine's Soviet legacy is helping derail its COVID fightback

Just 14% of Ukraine's population has been vaccinated. With COVID infections increasingly sharply, there are fears of a tough winter ahead.

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Russians celebrate 65 years of the Volga GAZ-21

Russians have taken to the streets in an old Volga GAZ-21 in celebration of the car's 65th anniversary.

My Europe Series

Why has it taken Moldova so long to shake off its Soviet legacy?

It's exactly 30 years since Moldova declared independence from the Soviet Union.