Posted on 12/08/2013 11:50:45 AM PST by 1rudeboy
Anti-government protesters toppled a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin in Ukraine's capital and attacked it with hammers on Sunday in a symbolic challenge to President Viktor Yanukovich and his plans for closer ties with Russia.
The gesture rejecting Moscow's historic influence over Ukraine came after opposition leaders told hundreds of thousands of demonstrators on Kiev's Independence Square to keep up pressure on Yanukovich to sack his government.
The protesters are furious that the government decided last month to ditch a landmark pact with the European Union in favour of closer economic cooperation with Moscow, Ukraine's Soviet-era overlord.
Yanukovich's sudden tack towards Russia has provoked the biggest street protests since the 2004-5 Orange Revolution, when people power forced a re-run of a fraud-tainted election and thwarted his first run for the presidency.
"Yanukovich, you are next!" chanted protesters as they took turns to hack at the prostrate - and now headless - red granite statue of Lenin, leader of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.
Cheered by the crowd, a young woman planted an EU flag on the pedestal where the 3-1/2 metre high statue had stood since 1946. Opposition leaders denied any link to its removal.
The authorities and protesters have confronted each other for weeks, raising fears for political and economic stability in the former Soviet republic of 46 million people.
"This is a decisive moment when all Ukrainians have gathered here because they do not want to live in a country where corruption rules and where there is no justice," said Vitaly Klitschko, a world heavyweight boxing champion-turned-politician.
Ukraine's opposition accuses Yanukovich, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday, of preparing to take the country into a Moscow-led customs union, which they see as an attempt to recreate the Soviet Union.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Would they defend the stature with tear gas or patchouli-stink? Either way, bring a mask.
Neither the EU nor Russia is a good choice for Ukraine. EU regulations would wreak havoc on many Ukrainians. Going back to Russia is bad but obviously in a different way. Ukraine would be a power house if it weren’t for the entrenchment of Soviet style laws and corruption.
Ukraine has along way to go. Unfortunately the vested interests holding power aren’t going to accede willingly.
It's a complicated issue, and not just because it's the Soviets who were fond of "airbrushing" history.
Interesting article here, that discusses the currents and cross-currents.
Silent Sentinels at Center of Lithuanian Debate on Bygone Era [Free Republic]
They want to join an EU that is pursuing lennins dream vs Russia who is running from it.
My Russian grandmother and great aunt, Chernovas, grew up in Ukraine. They also hated Commies and left after the Commies came into power. They were wonderful women, could cook like nobodies business, sew, knit...........
> “Yanukovich, you are next!” chanted protesters as they took turns to hack at the prostrate - and now headless - red granite statue of Lenin, leader of the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.
Thanks 1rudeboy.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3099573/posts
Some of the Russian-speaking Ukrainians are in my own U.S. Orthodox parish!
The EU and Lennin are the same. Wanting independence is great but the EU is worse than Russia. Who is behind these protests???
Yet, the Lenin statue in Seattle still stands...
Let us hope it can be recycled into a statue to Saint Mandela. Got anything against recycling to lower humanity’s whatchamacallit footprint?
I remembered the word: “carbonated footprint”, yeah.
At the time of the Baptism of Rus’, their was NO Ukraine, ONLY Orthodox Christian Rus’!!! The area of what became Ukraine was virtually destroyed by barbarian invasions, and what survived became Russia as we know it.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kievan_Rus%27
The “Ukrainian” identity was promoted by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and especially by Austria-Hungary, both Roman Catholic-dominated states. The Soros-funded mainly West Ukrainian Orangies (many of whom are Catholic) yearn for a new Austrian Empire under the EU.
Ukraine is ORTHODOX, as are Russia, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, etc. and a growing number of Americans. We shall celebrate the Orthodox patron Saint of America thus coming Friday.
Neither Soros, nor obama, nor the corrupt bureaucrats of Brussels, nor the mullahs can stop the resurgence of Christian Orthodoxy, or of Orthodox Christian culture and civilization!!!!
The problem is these protestors can’t win an election, so they have to resort to street violence. They would lose again today.
The Ukraine may end up splitting in two. If you look at the voting map it seems all to probable.
ROTFLMAO
So much for the Tea Party, then. I'm convinced . . . authoritarianism simply is the best way to accomplish anything. All hail Obamacare!
Are the Other Beatles statues still standing????
/sarcastic
There’s going to be civil war in Ukraine.
I did think it was hilarious these protestors wanted to surrender their country’s sovereignty to the EU.
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