Kyrgyzstan removes towering Lenin statue from second city

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LONDON (AP) — Authorities in the second-largest city in Kyrgyzstan, Osh, have removed a towering statue of Vladimir Lenin thought to be the tallest of the revolutionary Soviet leader in Central Asia.

The 23-meter (75-foot) monument was erected in 1975 when Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union. Photos appeared online Saturday showing the statue flat on the ground after being lowered by a crane.

While many countries formerly part of the Soviet Union have moved to downplay their ties to Russia as part of efforts to reshape national identity, the monument was taken down with little public fanfare and officials in Osh framed the removal as routine city planning.

In a statement, Osh City Hall called the move “common practice” aimed at improving the “architectural and aesthetic appearance” of the area.

Officials also noted that Lenin monuments have been “dismantled or moved to other places” in Russian cities including St Petersburg and Belgorod, and said that the issue “should not be politicized.”

The monument, they said, will be replaced by a flagpole, as was the case when a different Lenin statue was relocated in the capital, Bishkek.

The move came a week after Kyrgyzstan’s ally Russia unveiled a monument to brutal Soviet dictator Josef Stalin at one of Moscow’s busiest subway stations.