In another attempt to re-write history and guided by blind anti-communism, the Ukrainian authorities proceeded to the removal of the hammer and sickle from a gigantic sculptural figure that watches over Kiev, as part of a campaign to remove Soviet-era symbols.
The 62-metre-high steel figure of a woman holding a shield with the hammer and sickle and a sword, was opened in 1981 as a memorial to Soviet victory in World War II.