The 8-meter bronze Russia-Ukraine Friendship Monument in Kyiv was torn down with the participation of Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klichko. Making a statement on the subject, Klichko said, “Friends, in 1982, in the name of the so-called friendship of the two peoples, the bronze statue representing two workers was demolished in the capital. Russia displayed its barbaric attitudes towards our state and our people. I signed a new project instead, and the Kyiv Municipality will consider the issue in the upcoming session. We will demolish around 60 monuments related to Russia and the Soviet Union in Kyiv. More than 460 streets related to Russia will also be renamed,” he said.
The Monument of Friendship between the Russian and Ukrainian nations was opened in 1982, on the 60th anniversary of founding of USSR.