Ukrainian museum defaces Soviet war memorials to challenge Communist myths

In December 2022, a statue of Vladimir Vysotsky, a renowned Soviet poet, singer, and actor, was removed in Odessa as part of a broader de-Russification campaign in Ukraine. The monument, located near the Odessa Film Studio, was taken down on the orders of local authorities and subsequently stored by the studio. The Odessa city council had previously listed the statue among other monuments deemed symbolic of Russian imperial policy, prompting the removal efforts led by regional governor Oleg Kiper. In September 2022, the Ukrainian government had excluded monuments to Soviet and Russian figures from the national register of cultural sites, stripping them of UNESCO protections. This intensified campaign to erase historical links to Russia has taken various forms, including the removal of another statue of Catherine the Great, who founded the city, and an ongoing effort to revise the historical narrative of World War II. Meanwhile, a Ukrainian World War II museum has also removed memorial inscriptions honoring cities recognized for their resistance against Axis powers, which were previously seen as part of Soviet folklore. Such actions reflect the ongoing conflict and growing nationalism in Ukraine since the military aggression from Moscow started in 2022, leading to a contentious relationship with Russian cultural heritage and history.