“Those who cannot remember their past are condemned to repeat it”. The soviets were not only russians, it was a state composed of 15 republics with more than 100 different nationalities. You cannot just deny almost 70 years of common history filled with tragedies on the one hand, but also glorious victories and accomplishments on the other. And why no one is bothered by the ultranationalist slogan “Ukraine above all” while the statue is being demolished? 2:36
You can start expressing your disapproval or approval of soviet monument removal after the soviets have deported or imprisoned around 280k of your countrymen, have exterminated over 20k freedom fighters and dissidents. Lithuania for one, does not need these monuments, history books are enough to remember the history.
The monuments may be preserved as history, but they must not be revered. Having stalin's words in Berlin's center in gold is showing reverence. That stuff could be moved to a warehouse-museum where appropriate context can be provided for them.
Capitalist monuments should also be removed. The vile hand of psychopathic capitalists should not be revered. Countless people suffer and die under the brutal capitalist regime still to this day
@@andrewgodly5739 tell me where is capitalis monument?? , capitalis doesn't need monument. Only stupid socialis need monument for the purpose of brainwashing..
Difficult to say, as someone who is from a country once ruled by the british empire as so many countries were, should we tear down all the momuments the british built? I imagine this same situation can be said about many countries around the world who were liberated or seperated from their respective empires like Britain, France, Germany and of course Russia. Like i imagine the Irish might have a different view of british rule than say the Canadians or Austrailians. And the tearing down of monuments like this after the collapse of a major empire is nothing new. Its happened all throughout history as empires come and go and regimes and idealogies change. Ultimately i guess its upto the nations themselves to decide what they want their identity to be.
Its a nuanced question. There is no such thing as perfect morals. Every Empire and nation has done terrible things, be it the British Empire, French Empire, Spanish Empire, or even the Russian Empire. Should we tear down Roman architecture because they invaded and counquered many peoples. Because of all their bad deeds. Or should we preserve them as an important part of the history of the nation? Most of history and indeed the legacy of most nations and empires is often not all black and white, history is of course nuanced in that way.
@@livethefuture2492 Of course not,but you're missing a point.Ukraine is being attacked right now by Russia.Roman Empire hasn't and isn't attacking anyone anymore.Same goes for the Brits
If people of the world could only understand that this is all part of the WEF agenda. This war and everything associated with history to be erased from humanity. By tearing all statues down is the marker of what they want. We are walking blindly right into it. What they want will be statues of transhumanistic garbage! Statues of Bill Gates Klaus Schwab and robots. Watch and see it’s coming. Wake up world!!!
Як ви це порівнюєте взагалі? Британія дала вам квиток до цивилізації і теперь не намагається вас завойувати а навіть навпаки, ви тепер завойовуєте її зсередини. І у нас взагалі інша ситуація, де нам говорять що ми не існуємо, що ми один народ. Що з вами не так?
Lithuanian here. Got no issue with certain monuments being left to stand. Some represent regular people or locals, they can be maintained. Monuments that glorify the occupation or random Russian communists (in non Russian nations) can be destroyed or put into museum.
Here is the thing my man, they dont represent russian communists but regular soldiers and many of the red army's soldier were infact ukrainians not just russians and btw most soviet leader werent even russian to begin with not only that the first bolsheviks were almost all jews
On a visit to Hungary in 2016, we visited a park with all the demolished Soviet statues from around Budapest. Like a graveyard for statues, it was fascinating.
Ukraine woman: I can’t imagine us to have for example in Ukraine some monument’s With hitler name. Ukraine: monument with bandera that committed genocide of innocent poland people, Jews and ussr people. (Totally hero)
We also dismantled numerous Soviet monuments in Mongolia, as they were excessively abundant. Regrettably, the quantity of these monuments surpassed even that of our revered Genghis Khan memorials.
Btw, what is the attitude to Genghis Khan in Mongolia today? In fact what he was doing - capturing other nations' lands just the way russia is doing today ( and with much more atrocities) . I also recollect the monument to Alexander the Great in Skopje, Macedonia, who was a capturer too. I have doubts that it's appropriate in today's world to have monuments in honour of capturers in the cities. What is your opinion?
@@helenivanova5440 completely agree, Genghis Khan was a genocide. Even if those were different times, murder, rape, plunder, abuse and brutality are not the type of things we need to commemorate and idealize
I think the young blonde woman is being hypocritical. She wants to preserve these monuments as art because she recognizes the power and importance of art, yet she refuses to acknowledge the harm that the power of art can be used for like propaganda. Personally, I think they should choose which objects represent them today and the future they desire. Some might be destroyed but most will probably be preserved in museums and cemeteries, but perhaps they might alter some to make them their own. Like the crack on the friendship arch, Ukraine could cross out or otherwise shame certain parts, like individual names, to better portray past and present.
Isn't a either/or convo though. Some of the statues can be reworked, especially given a lot of the statues that directly touch on the Ukrainian experience during the Soviet Union. You've gotta keep in mind that historical memory is extremely controversial in Ukraine. There's the folks who have historical memories of WW2, and there's the folks that want to replace every Lenin statue with a Bandera statue. And even within these groups, there's splits on what parts of the history deserve to be recognized.
they already do that choosing though. the giant motherland statue also prominently displays the symbol of the old ukrainian SSR. and thats not coming down anytime soon.
@@moiseshuerta3984 when the successor state of the liberators are now the invaders and murderers, people have every right to reinterpret these monuments.
„We didn’t become a Soviet Republic. The indelible evidence to that our churches and cathedrals still stand today. Hungary was stabbed in the back by the conspiracies in Budapest. The country was handed over to our arch enemies, the Bolsheviks. But our grandfathers did not kneel” Fűrer Orbán
Cannot agree more - this is erasing history and many other "regimes" in the past have done it, with the result being that today there is so little left about what they destroyed and the history of what was destroyed that we have to 3D model them...
Ain't nothing wrong with that, the Americans toppled a big as king George III statue in New York after they declared independence from Britain, and look at them now, the US is doing just fine, and the Brits don't seem to be mad about it either. It is now Ukraine's revolutionary war of independence against russia, so let them do what they see fit with their statues in their own country and worry about the lenin statues in yours, germany.
@@numbersix8919 The Soviets destroyed countless markers of History when they overthrew the czars and destroyed most of the churches in Russia and other nations.
I don't care about the statues, but they say that Stalin was tyran and made genocide etc, in fact what they think is "we hate Russians". So primitive thing. But these people will care of their king's statues, though the kings were tyrans just as Stalin was.
@@BlitzOfTheReich Russians, unlike others, never own up to their own guilt. Russian history books it is a matrix. They think WWII started in 1941 and they were liberators. They were anything but.
Вы, я так понимаю, из страны, которой не коснулась война. Так вот. Земля в каждом городе восточной Европы полита кровью советских солдат. За освобождение каждого города от нацистов отдали жизни тысячи наших солдат. Тысячи советских детей не родились, потому что их потенциальные отцы остались лежать в земле этих городов. Нет советской семьи, которой бы не коснулась та война. Эти памятники поставлены в тех городах, где лежат кости, погибших за эти города. А вы хотели бы собрать эти памятники в одном месте, оторвать их от того места, где лежат те, в честь кого они поставлены. Вы хотите видеть лес памятников, музей скульптуры. Это от того, что вы слишком далеки от всего этого. Вам всё это чуждо. Война не коснулась вас.
@@Дмитрий_Тихомиров most of your "soviet" areas belong to another country. Its their blood that was shed, in the name of a force that did nothing but suppress and replace their culture, identify and government.
Yes, history should always be preserved, but not displayed for the public to see if that history is very questionable. Bring it into a museum or sanctuary, etc.. preserve it out of the public eye with the proper education that comes with it as opposed to plaques commemorating a man responsible for the death of 40 million people. This doesn't just go for Soviet error things as well, this is just in general. History should always be preserved, not necessarily glorified.
There is also the problem that Putin claims to be the successor to the USSR and all those statues osf Soviet soldiers and Stalin etc. are basically still staking a claim on former iron pact countries.
@@morho9422 Russia is the successor ask all the other SSR if the wanted the huge debt burden of the soviet union russia took it all really they all should of had a share of the huge debt also the decision making centre was the kremlin
The UN claim that Russia is the sucessor state of USSR, so this is why they have a seat in the security council. This don't is the same as saying that Russia is the USSR, it was a union of several republics, Ukraine was one of these, as Kazakhstan or so on, and is not true saying that the russians rules the country, as many of the Soviet leaders were not really Russians, as Stalin, a georgian. Turning down monuments built by this union of peoples that fought and won against Nazi Germany say more about who is demolishing them than about who built it.
Putin wasn't even president when Russia became the successor of the USSR lol. Also Russia became the successor so it could keep the USSR seat at the UN
It’s presented here as the tanks and monuments in Estonia were destroyed/demolished. They were not, they were just moved to museums. Completely different thing.
So where are all the monuments in Narva apart from the tank huh? Thrown into the gutter by those savages. We only discussed the tank but they violently tore down others without asking for permission. We mourn that day and will continue to forever because its clear that was an attempt to exercise power and rewrite history.
@@PaperReaper they are in museums around the country, like Ajaloomuusem, Eesti Sõjamuusem where they were taken. Some were also taken to smaller museums. Nothing was destroyed, no history was erased like the soviets did. The Estonians don’t destroy history or rewrite it in a way that fits them, they are not Russians. No statues were taken down “without permission”, they are state owned, and if Estonian people decided that they had to go, then they had to go, the state can’t go against peoples wishes.
@@tankart3645 nope, most of em were DESTROYED. Like nothing but trees (Grafov monument, the memorial plack in front of the Russian border on our square etc). Those monuments were under the city of Narva which was still formalizing the move of them. But the government removed them heavy handedly. Please check your facts and not only on ERR or Delfi. Those are state sponsored outlets. And I am not talking Russian media either, they also don't know the whole story. Only the tank was moved to Viimsi, which in of itself absurd since it could have remained in the city. But noooo, needs to be removed and all.
@@overdrivelzma.9219why do you think so, imagine to have 100+ monument's for Pushkin and only two for Lesya Ukrainka and Taras Shevchenko. We have such situation in all our cities in Ukraine and I don't think we need those monuments for Pushkin what exactly he did for us I don't remember anything, he is only a symbol of russian occupation.
I remember when in Poland we were renaming streets and trying to find a balance between erasing Soviet occupation and preserving history while demolishing monuments. Lots of hard discussions and disagreements. Not easy things to do.I understand various points of view to me all Soviet should be taken down but that me. Everyone feels differently
We had bloody war in Ex Yugoslavia , but huge monuments ( Spomeniks ) stayed intact . They are part of history and landmarks and no way someone is going to destroy them. People even renovate them
Not really. Some in Istria probably weren't, but the majority were destroyed. There are almost no statues thet depict any communist hero/solder left. Except Tito's in Kumrovec. I see in Ukraine's war a lot of similarities with the war in Croatia. Even regarding the statues.
because yogoslavia fought nazi themselves, they should be proud. It is very different in countries occupied by nazi/Japanese, later, "liberated" by allies. They not only did not participate in the process. or even fought the war for the wrong side, they see both side as invaders.
Why not? Whats wrong with power, strength and might? These are virtues. Being a victim isnt an accomplishment. Everybody can be a victim, but not everybody can be successful.
It's not that black and white. Let's say my guys like to associate themselves with "wisdom". Wisdom is clearly a virtue, nothing wrong with that. And now my guys conquer your guys and erect a statue of wisdom in your capitol. See how the lines blur?
People really need to stop conflating the Soviet Union with Russia. It was the biggest partner, but it was about half of the population. The leadership was ethnically diverse. If the Soviet Union was like the Russian empire then sure, but it only used Russian nationalism extensively during the Second World War and sporadically with nationality policy. They were way more obsessed with class and all that mumbo jumbo.
A very interesting documentary. In my opinion, contextualisation is key on this issue. Although in the case of huge monuments that loom over entire cities, there is justification for removal as they are landmarks of triumphalism over the modern populations that have moved on.
It’s like removing the Statue of Liberty because of the "terror" of the French revolution...Keep the large monument and change the shield to that of a trident!
And it’s not like they are destroying them!!! They are carefully and taking these “Monuments” down. She must not understand what they actually stand for - and how many people suffered ?!?! Scary cause this is how a lot of people are things. pain for many people, and preserving those “monuments” - s. They aren’t erasing history. Just not displaying Stalin relics anymore. This girl shows exactly Russian thinking.
@@anthonypazana6105 did French revolutionaries occupy US, killed its citizens, sent them to Syberia, stole from them, kept them under awful regime for many decades? No? than it is not the same.. for my people these monuments is like picture of person who raped them, on their own night table. Nothing but a scar in our memory. Only mistake is that they where not removed sooner.
Do you have culture or identity as Ukrainian???? You are just a bunch of people veered of course in a confused and just a puppet and vassal state..... We all know who was responsible for bucha. The coup d'etat in 2014 and the killing of 1400 your own people in the Eastern part of Ukraine. Seems you have forgotten history just summarized it up for you
as a person from an ex soviet country the truth is ussr or communism isnt viewed as a genuine ideology of communism its treated more like extension of russian imperialism lot of us didnt want communism or ussr but were forced to "join" so thats why due to current geopolitical situation with russia, we ve decided to remove such things
lol. Forced to join. Kinda like the EU, right. Who does not join gets a nice color revolution, or whoever does not obey America....gets their country bombed to smithereens. Ask Iraq.
I'm from Russia and i know the matter of soviet monuments is a deal of independent states. In Russia in soviet times the communists destoyed almost all pre-1917 epoch's monuments, churches, cemeteries etc. They almost deleted our history and traditions.
This thought-provoking documentary delves into the complex debate surrounding Soviet monuments in Eastern Europe.The film encourages us to reflect on the importance of acknowledging history while navigating the delicate balance between memory and moving forward. An insightful and timely exploration of a controversial topic.Thank you!!
Germans thought in a similar way to Ukrainians today when they decided to tear down the Palace of the Republic, the former DDR parliament building, in the early 2000s. Whatever its architectural merits, it was seen as a symbol of oppression.
What an interesting comparison. I think that it would be more correct to compare the current actions of Ukrainians with the actions of the allies who demolished the Nazi monuments of the Third Reich. Does it come across as awkward?
lol. it was a waste of money to tear that down. Hopefully it will be replaced by an islamic center. A good symbol for the direction to where Germany is headed right now. Being attacked with knives is the new liberty. Obeying the new muslim clan overlords is freedom. Banning pork from school canteens is the new tolerance. I want the wall back, sincerely, an East German.
On the one hand one cannot tolerate having monuments to the murderous regimes that have ruled for so long being on display in prominence places. On the other hand destroying such works is erasing historical record. Which puts one and the same footing as those like the Soviet Union and now Russia that have been doing that for a hundred years. In general I'm against the destruction of art works and the editing of reality. I propose removing the monuments but preserving them in a museum some place. A museum of shame. A museum that explains what really happened.
Let’s remember that soviet monuments are not russian monuments. Soviet union included 21 state. It belongs to all of them, to history, to socialism. You can’t rewrite history by removing piece of art.
Headline:“How should history be remembered?” “Because that’s history- not what happened, but what people make themselves believe must have happened.” - Alistair Cooke
Putin comes to that monument every year not to say that Russia is a successor to USSR, but to pay tribute to all fallen soldiers in WW2, including ukranians
History is not about having the choice of remembering, forgetting or what are their political views and beliefs. It's a reminder for us of how important history is and how we can avoid it from repeating it again.
If you are not from eastern Europe I don’t blame you that you don’t understand. Russians are deeply proud of that period of the past, having these monuments give them assurance that they can feel this way.
@@kristinesaulite7945 Although it is hard, people must remember for the better and move on or else it would occur again just like in most countries that have been colonised by other foreign superpowers.We also have lots of historical statues and monuments of our former occupiers. So, I can understand from your point of view but it is significant that we must remember.
@@josh_ewe i think russians are the ones who need to remember who they occupy, we dont need these statues, believe me, we never forget what they do despite if their gouls stand on a pedestal or not
@Broski Snowski who suffer the most will deeply remember more than who not or less suffer that human after all when you remove or destroy all of it what is left is hate anger for everyone who willing to revenge and repeat all over again.
@@MrBell-iq3sm well depends how they are told. Either way it all comes down to education and values under which you are raised. Not to some random structures put there in the world
I understand the need to tear down these statues, but what many are not willing to realize is the fact that the spirit of what they represent is still present. Even if we remove the physical representation, we cannot remove the ideology, just look at the nazi movements. The ideology did not disappear, despite the fact that every symbol, book or art is banned
Good job DW for showing different sides of the same issue. 1) Soviet memorials has nothing to do with Putin or modern day Russia. In fact Putin is an anti communist and a hard core Christian. 2) That Soviet memorial in Tiergarten is an important landmark of the German history. It's a German heritage now, and has nothing to do with Russia or Ukraine. 3) If they hate Putin and modern day Russia, they should get rid of Orthodox religion first, because it associate with Putin more than any Soviet memorial.
Putin always been glorify of Soviet especially Stalin in his speech. In facts he was a KGB himself. You must proof your loyalty to the communist party in order to climb the rank. Are you communist?
It makes you wonder if say France had attacked Canada claiming that it was never a country. Would we as Americans tear down the Statue of Liberty since France made it for us? This is just hypothetical but it makes you wonder if the same mindset would be applied.
Imagine statues of Adolf Hitler or Nazi Germany soldiers in 2023, say in Belgium or France. After all, he did conquer those countries. And some belgians or french being dissatisfied with removing them.
And why then Russian culture, Russian language and Russian history were imposed on other peoples conquered by this bloody empire! Why were all those who were against it killed?
@@DucedGonzaga wooow, you should know a fact that Russian culture was almost destroyed by Soviet rule. Traditional Russian clothes, language, churches and the whole lifestyle of Russian peasants (which was 80% of the population). Millions of Russian people were killed by new international communist government. Many more was deported and enslaved on the new places called 'kolhoz' (collective farm/households). USSR destroyed and damaged more Russians than all the other nations combined together. PLEASE LEARN THE HISTORY and stop being so dumb!
@@DucedGonzaga that is, when, on the orders of Stalin and Khrushchev, a small nation appeared in school programs to introduce the language, is this genocide? What could be dumber than a Western person?
As it happened to Italy, in my hometown: better to place them all, in a Museum or a dedicated Area, where you can go explain why all of these things mattered in the past and why back then and now, are controversial. You save the monument(s), you educate generations. But yeah, after years of living in Poland, this idea should be ALWAYS asked from local authorities to locals living there, in before making ANY decision
It's a nuanced question to answer. Should we tear down Roman architecture because they conquered many other nations and peoples. Should we tear down their culture and monuments because of their bad deeds. Certainly Rome itself erased many cultures themselves. Or should we preserve their culture for the achievements they made, and preserve it as an important part of the history of the nation and it's people. But I guess it's that complex legacy that makes a nation what it is, the good and the bad. After all thats what history is, not back and white but nuanced shades of grey.
@09:18 she just explained in a few seconds why we are against keeping colonizers' statues in Africa too. The other side says its history and you cannot erase it but those statues represent our history being erased , a sig n of victory and control , a reminder that we still own you .
The Soviet monuments honoring the heroes who fought against Nazism represent all the peoples of the Soviet Union. They are not Russian monuments. Those who advocate the demolition of these statues are those who today honor Nazi collaborators. So it is in Ukraine today. The toppling of these monuments is absurd and disrespectful. Only Nazis celebrate their overthrow.
As a Southern American who lived through the Black Lives Matter protests back in the summer of 2020, I see a lot of parallels between 2020 America and 2023 Eastern Europe. During the summer of 2020 we went through this same identical crisis in which we had to come to terms with our past. In our case, it was the Confederate monuments that for some people represented important Confederate patriots and heroes while others saw slave owners, traitors, and tyrants. In the end, some statues stayed while others were torn down or relocated just as is described in this documentary about Soviet statues.
23:55 "Now with the war" points to a misconception. Russia and Ukraine were already at war when this happened in 2018. Russian troops were involved in the hostilities since the beginning in 2014 and even attacked Ukrainian troops from Russian soil. The only reason there was no open confrontation was because Ukraine was too weak to risk an escalation.
We do not erase past in Baltic. We are preserving and upholding truth of it. It's shameful that Germans are preserving and justifying glorification and rememberence of war criminals, yearly rememberence of sufferings, normalizing rememberence of criminals, who commited immesurable crimes against humanity and so on. It's strange that it's okay to preserve Soviet, but not Nazi objects of past.
Is anyone not considering the fact that many of these memorials are in memory of Soviet comrades on the frontline, not just for the sake of the glorification of the Soviet Union? (Few exceptions.)
What history? How did the Nazis from the «forest brothers » kill the Soviet people of Lithuania? Or maybe how your bourgeoisie exploited you in 1917-1940 and has been exploiting you now since 1990? Don't worry, progress can't be stopped, it can only be slowed down, so World socialism and Communism (a commonwealth without a state, class, gender, sexual and racial oppression, as well as the high development of science) will come and ALL MANKIND will finally get REAL freedom, and not oppression and bourgeois false freedom, where your freedom is limited only by choice another exploiter every 4-7 years
@@JamesStoltzMan i live in Brasil and i have no Idea what most statues here are for. Statues can be good looking but history IS in The books and old itens( knifes , bows etc) but They should be mostly in museum
@@samfire3067 you don't understand because you don't care. Many others do and if people will destroy all the memorials, it will easy to rewrite the history as you want.
@@pipo590 Oh, I see, translation peculiarities. In Ukrainian "Україна понад усе" means not Ukraine over all nations but Ukraine over everything. That means for Ukrainians that our state and our independence value more than everything we have, even our own lives. It has nothing in common with national superiority.
@@DWDocumentary Your documentary is so amazing and pleasing.Thank you so much.But can you tell me your personal opinion about the USSR?After all, the communisim in 19th century is so advanced.And why it became so awful after it is operated in the eastIs Blanquisme?
You know, yeah, manically biased as it was. I haven't taken so many notes from a vid about Orcraine since last year, viewing Oliver Stone's monumental documentary, "Revealing Ukraine, 2019."
0:46 Mar 30: Russian troops leaves Bucha Mar 31: Mayor of Bucha announces town 'liberated', makes no mention of atrocities. Apr 1/2: Azov Battalion enter Bucha Apr 3: Ukrainian Defence Minister publishes video of 'Russian' atrocities
They have indeed been moved to a monument graveyard. You are free to go and look at them there anytime you wish. I'm sure, if you really want, you can pay the quarry contractor to take a few pieces away with you to stick in your garden, if you are so inclined. Or look out for them in their new home as part of a motorway strut or multi-story carpark - living art!
As Mines stated. Most if not all east block countries and the baltics have started removing this stuff to various museums. I have seen a few. You can go and look at the collections of Stalins and Lenins and what not, all standing around staring at each other with serious faces. But you have to want to see it. You are not forced to see it every time you go downtown.
Grutas park in Lithuania is a very interesting monument park founded in the late 1990s with Soviet monuments taken from all over Lithuania. It preserves the monuments and educates people about why they were put up. People can then choose to visit these monuments if they like, without being confronted by them all over their cities.
Its a nuanced question. There is no such thing as perfect morals. Every Empire and nation has done terrible things, be it the British Empire, French Empire, Spanish Empire, or even the Russian Empire. Should we tear down Roman architecture because they invaded and counquered many peoples. Because of all their bad deeds. Or should we preserve them as an important part of the history of the nation? Most of history and indeed the legacy of most nations and empires is often not all black and white, history is of course nuanced in that way.
I visited the Soviet monument in Riga and thought it was quite ugly, but it was breathtaking the size and brutalist style it was super cool to imagine your standing there with the old guard in 1983 in the LSSR.
That big ugly thing are gone now, For most Latvians it's like a having Nazi Monument next to Big Ben, or Elizabeth II monument next to O’Connell Monument in Dublin.
These monuments were erected to remind the people that they were now the subjects of the Soviet Empire. Resistance is futile. We will erase your history and culture and send anyone who resists to Siberia if you are lucky. All these nations remember the occupation.
"for some they symbolize victory" For Russians. For everybody else in east Europe it was just change in management. Everyone knows Auschwitz, but how many know about the millions Stalin resettled and killed (or starved/worked to death in Siberia)?
People think they can just imagine whatever meaning they want for this monuments, and demolish them, for a sake of hate, and rewriting history, forgetting the core idea behind this monument, or actually doesn't care about core, their interpretation is more important than reality behind.
The core idea of these monuments is Russian imperialism, a reminder that they can always rule over us and they can always conquer us again. No!! Never again!! 😡 Never!!!
@@Registeredprofile The reality is those core ideas in practice led to the deaths of millions of people, regardless of how nice they sounded on paper. That being said I do not support the destruction of monuments in any context. Also, no need to be condescending.
For those who say that it’s not the best time to demolish monuments I want to reply with a proverb: “ The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” We had to do it in 1991. The place of soviet “heritage” is in a museum, not on the streets of Ukrainian cities. I strongly believe that if we studied our history better if we respected our ancestors , culture and traditions, but most importantly if we spoke our own language and didn’t tolerate russian “cultural” invasion, they would have never attacked. Now it’s late, but we must do it now in order to resist and win the war, which we didn’t start.
Russia does need to be stopped. In terms of people like Putin "Men who kill without reason, cannot be reasoned with". There is nothing to say to them now.
I am positively surprised about the number of comments emphezising the point of having the duty to honor history . I guess most of the level headed commentators are being German . I am not guessing... but almost certain ,that mainly Germans and Russians learned from history... while Brits,Poles,Balts etc. are falling back into the old patterns without any hesitation .
Russians never learn. Poles and Baltics simply know USSR was no better than nazi Germany for them. USSR invaded Poland just 17 days after Hitler and USSR was Hitler's ally till 1941.
I'm Ukrainian and I want to have nothing that'd remind me about russians. That russian speaking girl with books about Leningrad might love russia or USSR, that's her choice. Ukraine is a free country, but it doesn't mean we need to have monuments of people that represent the invaders.
@TOFKAS01 You need to read how genocidal European colonizers were and how many tens of millions they killed. India, the largest ex-British colony, today has better relations with Russia than with the UK or America. You know why? Because for one, your hero Churchill starved 4 million Indians to death in the 1940s. That's why so many in the UK wanted his statue removed.
I would never judge this people for toppling this stuff. Regardless of Ukranians being part of some of this monuments the reality is that Russians allways saw themselves as the "true and only Soviets". Other nations in the USSR were there just to serve their purpose, as we can all clearly see on how they see Ukraine.
As a history nerd and lover of art I find it sanding that I won't be able to visit Europe to see theses monument I've always found them interesting and have wanted to see them but I'm still a teenager in school so I don't really have the ability to travel yet but they're all being torn down before I can even go to see them
I mean there were so many gorgeous buildings demolished in the Kliningrad oblast when soviets overtook it and also so many in Poland when Prussia stopped ecisting so i do support this decision of Ukrainians.
75 years ago, on the night of August 27 and 30, 1944, the British Air Force raided Koenigsberg (Kaliningrad), which killed more than 6,000 civilians and destroyed the historic city center.
I think eventually after the war, some of these monuments might be remade, in a reimagined way, celebrating Ukrainian history, instead of russian oppression, but currently, i see why many people dont like em
Her argument on the equestrian statue, oh boy... He might be criminal but "It is beautiful and if we remove it, the place will be empty". Sadly, instead of offering a counter argument, that lady is just a joke.
Young, Woke and of course deserving to have voices about their future country. What a complex situation. Good luck to Ukrainian youth, I truly hope they still have a country to call home.
It frustrates me to watch this because in the states we are having a similar conversation over statues that depict Confederate Soldiers from the U.S. Civil War. It is just so irritating because politicians are just using it as a wedge issue.
The main problem with most of the statue is Putin using it as a justification for his imperialistic vision and when Putin claims his country is the successor to the Soviet union it put a severely negative image on these monuments and to be real honest these monuments could be used as justification to invade other country.
One thing that is hard for foreigners to understand. For Ukrainians at this point of time having Soviet monuments almost the same as monuments for Hitler in Israel. It is simply not acceptable. Soviets and Russia did to many awful things to Ukraine and Ukrainian people. Period.
Colosseum a Roman Empire monument to slavery, violence, genocide Not only humans, several species of animals extinct here. Demolish it to. And don't forget about Egyptian pyramids. and All Mayan Architecture.
Amira Ettinger seems to be overly concerned about the Kyiv monument to Nikolay Shchors being torn down and leaving nothing in its place. The solution is simple. Replace it with a monument to Oleksandr Matsievskyi who was executed by the savage Russian invaders after defiantly muttering, "Слава Україні." Surely there is no shortage of Ukrainian heroes who are more deserving to be memorialized than the oppressive Russian occupiers.
Says savage Blantly disregards war crimes of the ukrainians Btw how much time did it take you to write this in cyrillic ? Cause i know that its an alien concept for westerners ofcourse our dear old alphabet cant compare to the western ones, maybe the ukrianians should switch see how they habe embarked on a journey of national destruction
Absolutely share this approach. Russian "putinist"s don't want to admit the reality of the all, including really brutal parts of the history, it's a USSSR' habit - to not recognize offensive and hostile politics of USSSR, unfortunately half of Russian middle ages people follow this path today. These Ukrainian girls(I share their pain) want to demolish the history, the same approach, as Russian "putinist"s and pro-Stalin. So we observe using the same tool for history demolishing from opposite sides. It's a blind way.
16:00 Wants to destroy all Soviet/Russian Symbolism, walks into the deepest Subway in the world built by the Soviets, then tells us about how they don't like the Russian Art in the subway.
We have this issue in the US with old Confederate monuments in the South. I always found these monuments charming but this gives a little different perspective.
Monuments can be symbols with varying purposes. And I would argue that the old soviet symbols are more about stamping the place as theirs, then they are about commemorating war dead. Plus, the soviet union no longer exists. So, pull them down, or regulate those you deem worthy to keep to museums where you can put context to them. And it allows the various states to erect their own monuments to honour their war dead their own way. For me this is just another necessary step in the collapse of the soviet empire. Which remember, no longer exists. The soviet union is gone, and its monuments are now without an owner. The states they exist in can do whatever they want with them.
Replace them with statues of Bandera, other cooperators of the Nazi SS and people before them like Petliura? That's the reality, cities like Lvov already have tenths of such statues, streets names after war criminals, they are accepted by the government, etc. Not a good start for a country independent only 30 years. Documentary starts with the claim famine was a genocide; most respectable historians know this is not the truth, ethnic Russians in the eastern part suffered the most, famine was caused by several factor like weather and wrong 5 year plan certain parts of the Soviet Union. So it is not like Stalin wanted to erase Ukraine by killing several millions.
1:00 this is probably one of the coolest looking statues i've ever seen, why would anyone wanna tear that down? Can people not separate art from artist?
actually no one is talking about detryoing this statue. quite otherwise. it was a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, and after the russian invasion became an even bigger symbol, it's literally everywhere. the meaning of the statue was redefined after Ukraine gained independence. the only issue is the USSR coat of arms on the shield. they consider to change it to Ukrainian tryzub, but it's estimated to cost +- 1 million dollars (38 million hryvniasd). idk why so much, but I think we can change it a bit later))
@@idontwanna1838 well, i'm not sure if there are such monuments across all post soviet states. it's actually called 'батьківщина-мати', literal translation in English is 'fatherland-mother'. another famous monument of this type is actually 'motherland calls' as you told in Volgograd
12:22 she is not right because the ВЕЧНАЯ СЛАВА ГЕРОЯМ ПАВШИМ В БОЯХС НЕМЕЦКО ФАШИСТСКИМИ ЗАХВАТЧИКАМИ ЗА СВОБОДУ И НЕЗАВИСИМОСТЬ СОВЕТСКОГО СОЮЗА does not saying that they have already underestimating and considering that the land itself doesn’t belong to Russian and the soldiers died to soviet Union for its peace and people including Ukrainian people (I’m not in the both side it’s just my opinion) I’m for peace
I think his hand symbolizes his appeal to the fallen brothers who died before reaching Berlin with him, his face is stern and sad. After all, all the soldiers then wanted one thing, so that this war would end and they would return home, which they defended with their blood
The Soviet leader Comrade Leonid Brezhnev & Soviet space engineer Sergie korolev are Ukrainian. There's many Ukrainian poets , story writers, movie director, producers and even many musicians since Russian Empire to Soviet Union ( USSR) & till today.
If a relative comes to my house, kills my wife, rapes my daughter and kidnaps my son and I have memories of him before that time, I don't think I should display them in my house. I must show the world that he is a murderer and rapist. The Crimean Bridge may be a magnificent architectural work, but it is actually the memory of an invasion and must be destroyed
How come that the Soviet army became Russian army? That is not correct. It also included Ukrainian, Belarusian , Polish, Checoslováquia, all the Baltic countries, Mongolian, Kazakhstan, ect ect. It’s incorrect to say that it was only the Russians that did bad things during the Soviet time. There were plenty high rank Ukrainians in the Soviet nomenclature. Stalin was not Russian by the way, he was Georgian. Everything so mixed up in this 🙄
The Red army Was the sovjet army. They occupied all the satalite states and supressed uprisings. The warsaw pact states had their own army which never turned against their fellow poles
Bandera. And they can rename the Maidan to Adolf Hitler square. That is a suitable replacement to all the Soviet monuments. they did not deserve one drop of blood that was shed to liberate them. But the upcoming yoke, being owned by American companies, will be impossible to overcome. Nobody will come to liberate them. But knowing how they are, they will once again just scatter across the world and try to instigate others to fix their problems for them. Nothing new.
Those monuments honor over the 28 MILLION citizens that died fighting Nat sism. Included MILLIONS of Ukranians. The Fuhrer would be smiling now from hell.
In Ireland we changed the names of all our roads and towns back to the Irish names - of course we did. We tore down all the symbols of British colonial rule - of course we did. We slowly over time removed as much English influence from out country as possible - some of that was unfair and treated good people poorly - some of that was dishonest and tactics were employed for political gain - some of that was manipulative using propaganda to promote a constructed Irish identity. This is completely normal for every independent country - they get to do this because they can - they are independent and will make mistakes and grow. It has to be done and it should have been done years ago.
The Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten is not a “symbol of Russian imperialism.” Remember, it was the Nazi regime that attacked and invaded the Soviet Union. That memorial is to commemorate the sacrifices of Soviet troops that put an end to Nazism-and to remind Germany that such a radical rise to power will not be tolerated.
Remember USSR was Hitler's ally till 1941 and both Nazi Germany (1st of september 1939) and USSR (17th of september 1939) invaded Poland. Hitler and Stalin had a pact to split Poland. Soviets killed 22 000 Polish people in Katyn forest in 1940. For Eastern Europe USSR was no better than nazi Germany. I bet you had no clue about it.
The Soviets were not liberators. They removed one totalitarian regime in Germany and replaced it with another. Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal once said that the East German Stasi was worse than the Gestapo. Also the Soviets committed murders and rapes against German and Polish civilians and looted and destroyed property as they "liberated" their countries. The Soviet war memorial in Berlin glorifies Stalin and the Soviet conquest of Eastern Europe and should be torn down.
You do understand it is divisive, right? You cannot untangle the liberation by Soviet soldiers from the immediate occupation and suppression that followed it. The USSR was basically just as brutal in land grabbing and imperialism as the nazi regime was; any monument that commemorates the Soviets will leave a bitter and nasty taste in a lot of people's mouths.
@@Blanka1100 Hi Galina blanca. Have you read the wrong books back? The USSR could not be friends with Germany after 38. Since Germany and Poland attacked Czechoslovakia and pulled it apart .The USSR then planned to help Czechoslovakia according to the mutual assistance agreement, but Poland did not let the Red Army troops through. Then the USSR imposed a condition on Poland. If they annex part of Czechoslovakia, then the USSR will leave the Riga Treaty of 1921 concluded as a result of the Polish-Russian war. In which the lands of western Ukraine and western Belarus were recognized for Poland. In 39, on September 17, the USSR regained western Ukraine, western Belarus and part of Lithuania along the Curzon line. Due to the fact that the Polish government fled (September 16, 1939) and it was impossible to allow the seizure of these territories by Germany. Since this would threaten the USSR in the future. The territories of Lithuania were returned to Lithuania. Then it was an independent state. No one declared war on the USSR in 1939, just as in 1945 they could not prove that the USSR had attacked Poland.
As a traveler from South Africa,I learnt a lot from asking questions to the local people from European cities.... Some moved the statues to a different location.....like Budapest. Then you can visit the place,if you so wish... But driving into Minsk,you see all the war tanks along the road,and it may be offencing to some people.... I think moving them is perhaps better than destroying them. But that is only my opinion.......
@badofi Well "socialists" telling Ukrainian and Baltic people to not remove icons of Moscow domination is like telling African Americans not to remove Confederate monuments.
@TheMeerOfKats Hahaha! Progress? Ok, let comeback to reality. Not argue political ideology. But I was just pointing out how both CS and Soviet statues are not wanted and will probably be taken down.
“Those who cannot remember their past are condemned to repeat it”. The soviets were not only russians, it was a state composed of 15 republics with more than 100 different nationalities. You cannot just deny almost 70 years of common history filled with tragedies on the one hand, but also glorious victories and accomplishments on the other.
And why no one is bothered by the ultranationalist slogan “Ukraine above all” while the statue is being demolished? 2:36
You can start expressing your disapproval or approval of soviet monument removal after the soviets have deported or imprisoned around 280k of your countrymen, have exterminated over 20k freedom fighters and dissidents. Lithuania for one, does not need these monuments, history books are enough to remember the history.
@@Radzas Tell me Lithuanian achievements in 30 years. Unaffordable housing, highest suicide rstes in Europe and many other problems.
@@eyeofterra but Russias' achievement is keeping up w occupations and genocides?
@@eyeofterratrue Latvia is in decline!
@@Ikright0What gynocides?
The monuments may be preserved as history, but they must not be revered. Having stalin's words in Berlin's center in gold is showing reverence. That stuff could be moved to a warehouse-museum where appropriate context can be provided for them.
Capitalist monuments should also be removed. The vile hand of psychopathic capitalists should not be revered. Countless people suffer and die under the brutal capitalist regime still to this day
@@andrewgodly5739 lol
Or to a rock crusher and a foundry to reconstruct Ukraine!
You're very much right
@@andrewgodly5739 tell me where is capitalis monument?? , capitalis doesn't need monument.
Only stupid socialis need monument for the purpose of brainwashing..
Difficult to say, as someone who is from a country once ruled by the british empire as so many countries were, should we tear down all the momuments the british built?
I imagine this same situation can be said about many countries around the world who were liberated or seperated from their respective empires like Britain, France, Germany and of course Russia.
Like i imagine the Irish might have a different view of british rule than say the Canadians or Austrailians.
And the tearing down of monuments like this after the collapse of a major empire is nothing new. Its happened all throughout history as empires come and go and regimes and idealogies change.
Ultimately i guess its upto the nations themselves to decide what they want their identity to be.
Its a nuanced question. There is no such thing as perfect morals. Every Empire and nation has done terrible things, be it the British Empire, French Empire, Spanish Empire, or even the Russian Empire.
Should we tear down Roman architecture because they invaded and counquered many peoples. Because of all their bad deeds. Or should we preserve them as an important part of the history of the nation?
Most of history and indeed the legacy of most nations and empires is often not all black and white, history is of course nuanced in that way.
@@livethefuture2492 Of course not,but you're missing a point.Ukraine is being attacked right now by Russia.Roman Empire hasn't and isn't attacking anyone anymore.Same goes for the Brits
If people of the world could only understand that this is all part of the WEF agenda. This war and everything associated with history to be erased from humanity. By tearing all statues down is the marker of what they want. We are walking blindly right into it. What they want will be statues of transhumanistic garbage! Statues of Bill Gates Klaus Schwab and robots. Watch and see it’s coming. Wake up world!!!
Як ви це порівнюєте взагалі? Британія дала вам квиток до цивилізації і теперь не намагається вас завойувати а навіть навпаки, ви тепер завойовуєте її зсередини. І у нас взагалі інша ситуація, де нам говорять що ми не існуємо, що ми один народ. Що з вами не так?
@@Self_Sabotage87 🤡
Lithuanian here. Got no issue with certain monuments being left to stand. Some represent regular people or locals, they can be maintained. Monuments that glorify the occupation or random Russian communists (in non Russian nations) can be destroyed or put into museum.
The pentagram...
Here is the thing my man, they dont represent russian communists but regular soldiers and many of the red army's soldier were infact ukrainians not just russians and btw most soviet leader werent even russian to begin with not only that the first bolsheviks were almost all jews
Slovak girl likes this
You know there are Ukranian communists as well.
@@josephstalin9357 Who cares?????they don't like them
On a visit to Hungary in 2016, we visited a park with all the demolished Soviet statues from around Budapest. Like a graveyard for statues, it was fascinating.
Me too, its called memento Park :)
we have one too here in Taiwan for Chiang Kai-Shek!
Что поставили вместо советских памятников, памятники "нацистским войнам освободителям"?))
that's how freedom dies.
I've been there aswell, it's a fascinating place! Being able to get so close to these huge statues was awesome
Ukraine woman: I can’t imagine us to have for example in Ukraine some monument’s With hitler name.
Ukraine: monument with bandera that committed genocide of innocent poland people, Jews and ussr people. (Totally hero)
Also helped nazi people
That actually never happened, well done bot
But yes, USSR people suck
"You don't understand, this is different cause its not ruSSians! 1!!! "
We also dismantled numerous Soviet monuments in Mongolia, as they were excessively abundant. Regrettably, the quantity of these monuments surpassed even that of our revered Genghis Khan memorials.
You can see what Ukraine is facing. If you don't learn , Russia will muscle your shit country.
without the Soviets, you would have been absorbed into China....well your memory is pretty short.
Btw, what is the attitude to Genghis Khan in Mongolia today? In fact what he was doing - capturing other nations' lands just the way russia is doing today ( and with much more atrocities) .
I also recollect the monument to Alexander the Great in Skopje, Macedonia, who was a capturer too. I have doubts that it's appropriate in today's world to have monuments in honour of capturers in the cities. What is your opinion?
@@helenivanova5440 "It's only good when we do it"
@@helenivanova5440 completely agree, Genghis Khan was a genocide. Even if those were different times, murder, rape, plunder, abuse and brutality are not the type of things we need to commemorate and idealize
I think the young blonde woman is being hypocritical. She wants to preserve these monuments as art because she recognizes the power and importance of art, yet she refuses to acknowledge the harm that the power of art can be used for like propaganda. Personally, I think they should choose which objects represent them today and the future they desire. Some might be destroyed but most will probably be preserved in museums and cemeteries, but perhaps they might alter some to make them their own. Like the crack on the friendship arch, Ukraine could cross out or otherwise shame certain parts, like individual names, to better portray past and present.
The little blonde 'child of socialism' should decamp to Russia - and see how she does there. She is an affront to Ukraine.
Isn't a either/or convo though. Some of the statues can be reworked, especially given a lot of the statues that directly touch on the Ukrainian experience during the Soviet Union.
You've gotta keep in mind that historical memory is extremely controversial in Ukraine. There's the folks who have historical memories of WW2, and there's the folks that want to replace every Lenin statue with a Bandera statue. And even within these groups, there's splits on what parts of the history deserve to be recognized.
they already do that choosing though. the giant motherland statue also prominently displays the symbol of the old ukrainian SSR. and thats not coming down anytime soon.
Over 27 million SOVIET citizens died fighting and defeating Nat sism.
That is what those monuments celebrate.
@@moiseshuerta3984 when the successor state of the liberators are now the invaders and murderers, people have every right to reinterpret these monuments.
These monuments should be preserved even when they are dismantled. Moved them to a museum. History should never be forgotten.
Would not want the risk with possibility that some day someone will want to install them back where they been.
„We didn’t become a Soviet Republic.
The indelible evidence to that our churches and cathedrals still stand today.
Hungary was stabbed in the back by the conspiracies in Budapest.
The country was handed over to our arch enemies, the Bolsheviks.
But our grandfathers did not kneel”
Fűrer Orbán
Cannot agree more - this is erasing history and many other "regimes" in the past have done it, with the result being that today there is so little left about what they destroyed and the history of what was destroyed that we have to 3D model them...
Well if you sit in history for too long you become putin... Ofc we should know the history but we need to focuss on future. Kids are future ❤
Tell that to Adolf Putin
Ain't nothing wrong with that, the Americans toppled a big as king George III statue in New York after they declared independence from Britain, and look at them now, the US is doing just fine, and the Brits don't seem to be mad about it either. It is now Ukraine's revolutionary war of independence against russia, so let them do what they see fit with their statues in their own country and worry about the lenin statues in yours, germany.
Exept that its a completely different story which has absolutly no similarities to this one
@@Silver_Prussian Actually the war in Ukraine is also about WW II. To do it over so the "nationalists" are the winners.
Yes which this story the fact that monuments need to be taken down rings more true then the other one
@@numbersix8919 The Soviets destroyed countless markers of History when they overthrew the czars and destroyed most of the churches in Russia and other nations.
@@serronserron1320 Well, if they were wrong to do it, two wrongs don't make a right. BTW most churches were-repurposed or left as is, not destroyed.
I don't care about the statues, but they say that Stalin was tyran and made genocide etc, in fact what they think is "we hate Russians". So primitive thing. But these people will care of their king's statues, though the kings were tyrans just as Stalin was.
I think theres huge difference between Soviet war memorials which are for the war dead, vs monuments which specifically commemorate the soviet union
USSR was no better than nazis for Eastern Europeans. USSR invaded Poland just 17 days after Hitler.
@@Blanka1100 And Poland also annexed Czechoslovakian land during the partition.
@@BlitzOfTheReich Russians, unlike others, never own up to their own guilt. Russian history books it is a matrix. They think WWII started in 1941 and they were liberators. They were anything but.
@boconnor401 they’re both equally atrocious ideologies and historical regimes
...Yeah. Okay. So what?
Id love to see all of these monuments placed in a single location, almost like a forest of Soviet monuments that tell the history of each piece
they did that in Lithuania,its park in a forrest called Grutas Park
They also did that in Hungary
Вы, я так понимаю, из страны, которой не коснулась война. Так вот. Земля в каждом городе восточной Европы полита кровью советских солдат. За освобождение каждого города от нацистов отдали жизни тысячи наших солдат. Тысячи советских детей не родились, потому что их потенциальные отцы остались лежать в земле этих городов. Нет советской семьи, которой бы не коснулась та война.
Эти памятники поставлены в тех городах, где лежат кости, погибших за эти города.
А вы хотели бы собрать эти памятники в одном месте, оторвать их от того места, где лежат те, в честь кого они поставлены. Вы хотите видеть лес памятников, музей скульптуры. Это от того, что вы слишком далеки от всего этого. Вам всё это чуждо. Война не коснулась вас.
@@Дмитрий_Тихомиров most of your "soviet" areas belong to another country. Its their blood that was shed, in the name of a force that did nothing but suppress and replace their culture, identify and government.
Come and visit the 'Memento Park' in Budapest.
Yes, history should always be preserved, but not displayed for the public to see if that history is very questionable. Bring it into a museum or sanctuary, etc.. preserve it out of the public eye with the proper education that comes with it as opposed to plaques commemorating a man responsible for the death of 40 million people. This doesn't just go for Soviet error things as well, this is just in general. History should always be preserved, not necessarily glorified.
There is also the problem that Putin claims to be the successor to the USSR and all those statues osf Soviet soldiers and Stalin etc. are basically still staking a claim on former iron pact countries.
what a salad.😂😂
@@morho9422 Russia is the successor ask all the other SSR if the wanted the huge debt burden of the soviet union russia took it all really they all should of had a share of the huge debt also the decision making centre was the kremlin
The UN claim that Russia is the sucessor state of USSR, so this is why they have a seat in the security council. This don't is the same as saying that Russia is the USSR, it was a union of several republics, Ukraine was one of these, as Kazakhstan or so on, and is not true saying that the russians rules the country, as many of the Soviet leaders were not really Russians, as Stalin, a georgian.
Turning down monuments built by this union of peoples that fought and won against Nazi Germany say more about who is demolishing them than about who built it.
Putin wasn't even president when Russia became the successor of the USSR lol. Also Russia became the successor so it could keep the USSR seat at the UN
Putin claims to be the successor of Zar Nicholas II.
It’s presented here as the tanks and monuments in Estonia were destroyed/demolished. They were not, they were just moved to museums. Completely different thing.
So where are all the monuments in Narva apart from the tank huh? Thrown into the gutter by those savages. We only discussed the tank but they violently tore down others without asking for permission. We mourn that day and will continue to forever because its clear that was an attempt to exercise power and rewrite history.
@@PaperReaper they are in museums around the country, like Ajaloomuusem, Eesti Sõjamuusem where they were taken. Some were also taken to smaller museums. Nothing was destroyed, no history was erased like the soviets did. The Estonians don’t destroy history or rewrite it in a way that fits them, they are not Russians. No statues were taken down “without permission”, they are state owned, and if Estonian people decided that they had to go, then they had to go, the state can’t go against peoples wishes.
@@tankart3645 nope, most of em were DESTROYED. Like nothing but trees (Grafov monument, the memorial plack in front of the Russian border on our square etc). Those monuments were under the city of Narva which was still formalizing the move of them. But the government removed them heavy handedly. Please check your facts and not only on ERR or Delfi. Those are state sponsored outlets. And I am not talking Russian media either, they also don't know the whole story.
Only the tank was moved to Viimsi, which in of itself absurd since it could have remained in the city. But noooo, needs to be removed and all.
@@tankart3645
Poor Ukraine...
@@overdrivelzma.9219why do you think so, imagine to have 100+ monument's for Pushkin and only two for Lesya Ukrainka and Taras Shevchenko. We have such situation in all our cities in Ukraine and I don't think we need those monuments for Pushkin what exactly he did for us I don't remember anything, he is only a symbol of russian occupation.
I remember when in Poland we were renaming streets and trying to find a balance between erasing Soviet occupation and preserving history while demolishing monuments. Lots of hard discussions and disagreements. Not easy things to do.I understand various points of view to me all Soviet should be taken down but that me. Everyone feels differently
We had bloody war in Ex Yugoslavia , but huge monuments ( Spomeniks ) stayed intact . They are part of history and landmarks and no way someone is going to destroy them. People even renovate them
Not really. Some in Istria probably weren't, but the majority were destroyed. There are almost no statues thet depict any communist hero/solder left. Except Tito's in Kumrovec. I see in Ukraine's war a lot of similarities with the war in Croatia. Even regarding the statues.
It depends on which part of exyugoslavia you are looking at.
really ? Serbs actually renovating stuff 😂
They were removing statues just a few years ago in your country on the news
because yogoslavia fought nazi themselves, they should be proud. It is very different in countries occupied by nazi/Japanese, later, "liberated" by allies. They not only did not participate in the process. or even fought the war for the wrong side, they see both side as invaders.
Monuments to remember those who died and suffered is ok. But monument to rule and show power - No.
Why not? Whats wrong with power, strength and might? These are virtues. Being a victim isnt an accomplishment. Everybody can be a victim, but not everybody can be successful.
It's not that black and white. Let's say my guys like to associate themselves with "wisdom". Wisdom is clearly a virtue, nothing wrong with that. And now my guys conquer your guys and erect a statue of wisdom in your capitol. See how the lines blur?
@@fuerstmetternich1997 Yeah well that power is long gone so these monuments can be torn down , rightfully .
@@fuerstmetternich1997 thats a great quote now that i think about it
And your opinion that those monuments are here to show power is based on this girls opinion?
People really need to stop conflating the Soviet Union with Russia. It was the biggest partner, but it was about half of the population. The leadership was ethnically diverse. If the Soviet Union was like the Russian empire then sure, but it only used Russian nationalism extensively during the Second World War and sporadically with nationality policy. They were way more obsessed with class and all that mumbo jumbo.
A very interesting documentary. In my opinion, contextualisation is key on this issue. Although in the case of huge monuments that loom over entire cities, there is justification for removal as they are landmarks of triumphalism over the modern populations that have moved on.
It’s like removing the Statue of Liberty because of the "terror" of the French revolution...Keep the large monument and change the shield to that of a trident!
And it’s not like they are destroying them!!! They are carefully and taking these “Monuments” down. She must not understand what they actually stand for - and how many people suffered ?!?! Scary cause this is how a lot of people are things. pain for many people, and preserving those “monuments” - s. They aren’t erasing history. Just not displaying Stalin relics anymore. This girl shows exactly Russian thinking.
@@lindsayc42386
This will bring more pain in future. They have destroyed itself.
@@anthonypazana6105 did French revolutionaries occupy US, killed its citizens, sent them to Syberia, stole from them, kept them under awful regime for many decades? No? than it is not the same.. for my people these monuments is like picture of person who raped them, on their own night table. Nothing but a scar in our memory. Only mistake is that they where not removed sooner.
Do you have culture or identity as Ukrainian???? You are just a bunch of people veered of course in a confused and just a puppet and vassal state..... We all know who was responsible for bucha. The coup d'etat in 2014 and the killing of 1400 your own people in the Eastern part of Ukraine. Seems you have forgotten history just summarized it up for you
as a person from an ex soviet country the truth is ussr or communism isnt viewed as a genuine ideology of communism its treated more like extension of russian imperialism lot of us didnt want communism or ussr but were forced to "join" so thats why due to current geopolitical situation with russia, we ve decided to remove such things
lol. Forced to join. Kinda like the EU, right. Who does not join gets a nice color revolution, or whoever does not obey America....gets their country bombed to smithereens. Ask Iraq.
Excellent comment. Very right.
You comment it's very interesting and value
Forced to join is wild
@@ninofromkitchennightmares1497 you saying it's hard to believe? Read more history.
I'm from Russia and i know the matter of soviet monuments is a deal of independent states.
In Russia in soviet times the communists destoyed almost all pre-1917 epoch's monuments, churches, cemeteries etc. They almost deleted our history and traditions.
They did the same in China and now the CCP is crying that KMT stole China's heritage.
Wtf you're talking about "russian"?
I'm from Nizhny Novgorod and almost every church/monument from those days stayed intact till now
This thought-provoking documentary delves into the complex debate surrounding Soviet monuments in Eastern Europe.The film encourages us to reflect on the importance of acknowledging history while navigating the delicate balance between memory and moving forward. An insightful and timely exploration of a controversial topic.Thank you!!
Germans thought in a similar way to Ukrainians today when they decided to tear down the Palace of the Republic, the former DDR parliament building, in the early 2000s. Whatever its architectural merits, it was seen as a symbol of oppression.
What architectural merits? That building was hideous and full of asbestos. The new schloss is much beautiful and safe.
What an interesting comparison. I think that it would be more correct to compare the current actions of Ukrainians with the actions of the allies who demolished the Nazi monuments of the Third Reich.
Does it come across as awkward?
How about the ZZ NATO Nazi building.
It was incredibly ugly. Thank God this filth is gone.
lol. it was a waste of money to tear that down. Hopefully it will be replaced by an islamic center. A good symbol for the direction to where Germany is headed right now. Being attacked with knives is the new liberty. Obeying the new muslim clan overlords is freedom. Banning pork from school canteens is the new tolerance. I want the wall back, sincerely, an East German.
On the one hand one cannot tolerate having monuments to the murderous regimes that have ruled for so long being on display in prominence places.
On the other hand destroying such works is erasing historical record. Which puts one and the same footing as those like the Soviet Union and now Russia that have been doing that for a hundred years. In general I'm against the destruction of art works and the editing of reality.
I propose removing the monuments but preserving them in a museum some place. A museum of shame. A museum that explains what really happened.
the wokists want them destroyed and us to pretend it never existed.
There are more statues of Lenin than there's museums.
@@td9250 Ah ha. OK. Then put them all into one huge museum. That might emphasise the madness of it all.
@@heater5979 I love this idea. Like the terracotta army but with Lenins.
@@td9250 Yes, yes. That is what I had in mind but I could not think of what it's called. Cheers.
Let’s remember that soviet monuments are not russian monuments. Soviet union included 21 state. It belongs to all of them, to history, to socialism. You can’t rewrite history by removing piece of art.
History should be remembered in museums I think.
Then don't.
Headline:“How should history be remembered?” “Because that’s history- not what happened, but what people make themselves believe must have happened.” - Alistair Cooke
Historiography 101
Putin comes to that monument every year not to say that Russia is a successor to USSR, but to pay tribute to all fallen soldiers in WW2, including ukranians
History is not about having the choice of remembering, forgetting or what are their political views and beliefs. It's a reminder for us of how important history is and how we can avoid it from repeating it again.
Europeans can't do that! Sorry.
If you are not from eastern Europe I don’t blame you that you don’t understand. Russians are deeply proud of that period of the past, having these monuments give them assurance that they can feel this way.
@@kristinesaulite7945 Although it is hard, people must remember for the better and move on or else it would occur again just like in most countries that have been colonised by other foreign superpowers.We also have lots of historical statues and monuments of our former occupiers. So, I can understand from your point of view but it is significant that we must remember.
@@josh_ewe i think russians are the ones who need to remember who they occupy, we dont need these statues, believe me, we never forget what they do despite if their gouls stand on a pedestal or not
@Broski Snowski who suffer the most will deeply remember more than who not or less suffer that human after all when you remove or destroy all of it what is left is hate anger for everyone who willing to revenge and repeat all over again.
Those who don't remember their history are doomed to repeat it.
They aren’t erasing it just taking down statues of people who shouldn’t be idolized next should be columbus
They are preserving it
They are repeating it! Fascism in Europe is Up. Russophobia is UP! All those countries removing the Red army symbols suffers from a tragic naon@zism.
I would say those who hide horrific actions, or even glorify them by erecting monuments commemorating them, are doomed to repeat these actions.
@@MrBell-iq3sm well depends how they are told. Either way it all comes down to education and values under which you are raised. Not to some random structures put there in the world
I understand the need to tear down these statues, but what many are not willing to realize is the fact that the spirit of what they represent is still present. Even if we remove the physical representation, we cannot remove the ideology, just look at the nazi movements. The ideology did not disappear, despite the fact that every symbol, book or art is banned
Good job DW for showing different sides of the same issue.
1) Soviet memorials has nothing to do with Putin or modern day Russia. In fact Putin is an anti communist and a hard core Christian.
2) That Soviet memorial in Tiergarten is an important landmark of the German history. It's a German heritage now, and has nothing to do with Russia or Ukraine.
3) If they hate Putin and modern day Russia, they should get rid of Orthodox religion first, because it associate with Putin more than any Soviet memorial.
Putin always been glorify of Soviet especially Stalin in his speech. In facts he was a KGB himself. You must proof your loyalty to the communist party in order to climb the rank. Are you communist?
Well they split from the Russian orthodox church.
@@jalifritz8033 But the Russian orthodox church is still functioning in Ukraine, isn't it?
@@Earth098 as far as I am aware no. They are now their own church with their own patriarch.
If it's metal, you can turn it into weapons to send the opposite message.
I was thinking that!
🤦🤦🤦
Yeah sure bud, nevermind continue living in your simpleton world while the adults handle important stuff
@@Silver_Prussian Like killing each other
"It's not about winning, it's about sending message"
Gaben
@@MrLoobu better than being naive as you.
It makes you wonder if say France had attacked Canada claiming that it was never a country. Would we as Americans tear down the Statue of Liberty since France made it for us?
This is just hypothetical but it makes you wonder if the same mindset would be applied.
Imagine statues of Adolf Hitler or Nazi Germany soldiers in 2023, say in Belgium or France.
After all, he did conquer those countries. And some belgians or french being dissatisfied with removing them.
💯
Belgium has no problem having king Leopold statues in Belgium when he committed genocides in Africa.
Stalin was Georgian, Khrushchev was Ukranian and Soviet doesn't mean Russian.
And why then Russian culture, Russian language and Russian history were imposed on other peoples conquered by this bloody empire! Why were all those who were against it killed?
@@DucedGonzaga wooow, you should know a fact that Russian culture was almost destroyed by Soviet rule. Traditional Russian clothes, language, churches and the whole lifestyle of Russian peasants (which was 80% of the population). Millions of Russian people were killed by new international communist government. Many more was deported and enslaved on the new places called 'kolhoz' (collective farm/households). USSR destroyed and damaged more Russians than all the other nations combined together. PLEASE LEARN THE HISTORY and stop being so dumb!
@@DucedGonzagahave you heard of a place called Central Asia and the Caucuses?
@@DucedGonzaga that is, when, on the orders of Stalin and Khrushchev, a small nation appeared in school programs to introduce the language, is this genocide? What could be dumber than a Western person?
As it happened to Italy, in my hometown: better to place them all, in a Museum or a dedicated Area, where you can go explain why all of these things mattered in the past and why back then and now, are controversial.
You save the monument(s), you educate generations.
But yeah, after years of living in Poland, this idea should be ALWAYS asked from local authorities to locals living there, in before making ANY decision
It's a nuanced question to answer. Should we tear down Roman architecture because they conquered many other nations and peoples. Should we tear down their culture and monuments because of their bad deeds. Certainly Rome itself erased many cultures themselves.
Or should we preserve their culture for the achievements they made, and preserve it as an important part of the history of the nation and it's people.
But I guess it's that complex legacy that makes a nation what it is, the good and the bad. After all thats what history is, not back and white but nuanced shades of grey.
@@livethefuture2492 Romans were 2000 years ago, at least the last 2 centuries is a diverse thing
@09:18 she just explained in a few seconds why we are against keeping colonizers' statues in Africa too. The other side says its history and you cannot erase it but those statues represent our history being erased , a sig n of victory and control , a reminder that we still own you .
The Soviet monuments honoring the heroes who fought against Nazism represent all the peoples of the Soviet Union. They are not Russian monuments. Those who advocate the demolition of these statues are those who today honor Nazi collaborators. So it is in Ukraine today. The toppling of these monuments is absurd and disrespectful. Only Nazis celebrate their overthrow.
Yeah right....
Also they represent a regime, that is as murderous as the nazi regime and right now attacks ukraine
As a Southern American who lived through the Black Lives Matter protests back in the summer of 2020, I see a lot of parallels between 2020 America and 2023 Eastern Europe. During the summer of 2020 we went through this same identical crisis in which we had to come to terms with our past. In our case, it was the Confederate monuments that for some people represented important Confederate patriots and heroes while others saw slave owners, traitors, and tyrants. In the end, some statues stayed while others were torn down or relocated just as is described in this documentary about Soviet statues.
23:55 "Now with the war" points to a misconception. Russia and Ukraine were already at war when this happened in 2018. Russian troops were involved in the hostilities since the beginning in 2014 and even attacked Ukrainian troops from Russian soil. The only reason there was no open confrontation was because Ukraine was too weak to risk an escalation.
Russia and Ukraine already at war since 2014
We do not erase past in Baltic. We are preserving and upholding truth of it. It's shameful that Germans are preserving and justifying glorification and rememberence of war criminals, yearly rememberence of sufferings, normalizing rememberence of criminals, who commited immesurable crimes against humanity and so on. It's strange that it's okay to preserve Soviet, but not Nazi objects of past.
Everyone knows the history of the Baltic states in WW II. It will never be forgotten.
Is anyone not considering the fact that many of these memorials are in memory of Soviet comrades on the frontline, not just for the sake of the glorification of the Soviet Union? (Few exceptions.)
@badofi True but sad, I would suspect many were probably fine and swell men just serving their country.
History is not written fairly, it is always written by the strong and the winners.
Lithuanian here, we removed the soviet monuments because we remember history.
What history? How did the Nazis from the «forest brothers » kill the Soviet people of Lithuania? Or maybe how your bourgeoisie exploited you in 1917-1940 and has been exploiting you now since 1990? Don't worry, progress can't be stopped, it can only be slowed down, so World socialism and Communism (a commonwealth without a state, class, gender, sexual and racial oppression, as well as the high development of science) will come and ALL MANKIND will finally get REAL freedom, and not oppression and bourgeois false freedom, where your freedom is limited only by choice another exploiter every 4-7 years
@boconnor401
Yes, if you understand history, you’d want them removed. History isn’t statues it’s recorded memory and collective experiences
@@blackwatertv7018 No, it means that you rewrite history instead.
@@JamesStoltzMan i live in Brasil and i have no Idea what most statues here are for.
Statues can be good looking but history IS in The books and old itens( knifes , bows etc) but They should be mostly in museum
@@samfire3067 you don't understand because you don't care. Many others do and if people will destroy all the memorials, it will easy to rewrite the history as you want.
"War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength". Now I see.
Am I the only one that realizes that the people saying "Ukraine aka Ukranians above all" is fascism?!?!
And? What exactly is wrong with that?
@@columbanproductions55 The thing is that they are shouting fascist slurs, if you don't know what is wrong with that something is wrong with you.
@@cmelinoe That is very different, putting your or a single nationality above all is fascism. Shouting "ukranians above all" is exactly that
@@pipo590 Oh, I see, translation peculiarities. In Ukrainian "Україна понад усе" means not Ukraine over all nations but Ukraine over everything. That means for Ukrainians that our state and our independence value more than everything we have, even our own lives. It has nothing in common with national superiority.
A really interesting and well made documentary 👍
Thanks for watching :)
@@DWDocumentary Your documentary is so amazing and pleasing.Thank you so much.But can you tell me your personal opinion about the USSR?After all, the communisim in 19th century is so advanced.And why it became so awful after it is operated in the eastIs Blanquisme?
@@DWDocumentary How much you get from american government for support ukranian nazism and hatred between people?
Karl Marx is crying in his grave seeing all these Soviet monuments destory 😂😂😂
You know, yeah, manically biased as it was. I haven't taken so many notes from a vid about Orcraine since last year, viewing Oliver Stone's monumental documentary, "Revealing Ukraine, 2019."
0:46
Mar 30: Russian troops leaves Bucha
Mar 31: Mayor of Bucha announces town 'liberated', makes no mention of atrocities.
Apr 1/2: Azov Battalion enter Bucha
Apr 3: Ukrainian Defence Minister publishes video of 'Russian' atrocities
The battalion blocked in Mariupol enters the city in the north of Kyiv. What other stories can you tell?
Pity they can’t move them to a monument graveyard as they are pieces of art, irrespective of what they represent or represented.
They have indeed been moved to a monument graveyard. You are free to go and look at them there anytime you wish. I'm sure, if you really want, you can pay the quarry contractor to take a few pieces away with you to stick in your garden, if you are so inclined. Or look out for them in their new home as part of a motorway strut or multi-story carpark - living art!
As Mines stated. Most if not all east block countries and the baltics have started removing this stuff to various museums. I have seen a few. You can go and look at the collections of Stalins and Lenins and what not, all standing around staring at each other with serious faces. But you have to want to see it. You are not forced to see it every time you go downtown.
Most of them are not art , at most bad art.
Grutas park in Lithuania is a very interesting monument park founded in the late 1990s with Soviet monuments taken from all over Lithuania. It preserves the monuments and educates people about why they were put up. People can then choose to visit these monuments if they like, without being confronted by them all over their cities.
Its a nuanced question. There is no such thing as perfect morals. Every Empire and nation has done terrible things, be it the British Empire, French Empire, Spanish Empire, or even the Russian Empire.
Should we tear down Roman architecture because they invaded and counquered many peoples. Because of all their bad deeds. Or should we preserve them as an important part of the history of the nation?
Most of history and indeed the legacy of most nations and empires is often not all black and white, history is of course nuanced in that way.
I visited the Soviet monument in Riga and thought it was quite ugly, but it was breathtaking the size and brutalist style it was super cool to imagine your standing there with the old guard in 1983 in the LSSR.
That big ugly thing are gone now, For most Latvians it's like a having Nazi Monument next to Big Ben, or Elizabeth II monument next to O’Connell Monument in Dublin.
Karl Marx is crying in his grave seeing all these Soviet monuments destory 😂😂😂
These monuments were erected to remind the people that they were now the subjects of the Soviet Empire. Resistance is futile. We will erase your history and culture and send anyone who resists to Siberia if you are lucky. All these nations remember the occupation.
@@RyanlexzNah. He was Rolling in hisngrave The moment comunismo turned into a dictadorship.
@@samfire3067 lmao 😂😂😂
The world moves forward, russia moves to the past.
Those who do not remember their past are doomed to relive it.
@@Chaldon-hl6yk Russia is trying to relive it
@@serronserron1320 1984 please
روسيا العظمى
اما أوكرانيا أصبحت ولاية أمريكية خالصة
@@Chaldon-hl6yk statues are not needed to remember history. Graveyards of dead soldiers is much better reminder of history.
"for some they symbolize victory"
For Russians. For everybody else in east Europe it was just change in management. Everyone knows Auschwitz, but how many know about the millions Stalin resettled and killed (or starved/worked to death in Siberia)?
People think they can just imagine whatever meaning they want for this monuments, and demolish them, for a sake of hate, and rewriting history, forgetting the core idea behind this monument, or actually doesn't care about core, their interpretation is more important than reality behind.
The core idea of these monuments is Russian imperialism, a reminder that they can always rule over us and they can always conquer us again. No!! Never again!! 😡 Never!!!
The core idea is even worse than modern Russia.
@@barahng as I said before,your interpretation is more important than reality, good boy go and get cookies.
@@Registeredprofile The reality is those core ideas in practice led to the deaths of millions of people, regardless of how nice they sounded on paper. That being said I do not support the destruction of monuments in any context. Also, no need to be condescending.
For those who say that it’s not the best time to demolish monuments I want to reply with a proverb: “ The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is today.” We had to do it in 1991. The place of soviet “heritage” is in a museum, not on the streets of Ukrainian cities. I strongly believe that if we studied our history better if we respected our ancestors , culture and traditions, but most importantly if we spoke our own language and didn’t tolerate russian “cultural” invasion, they would have never attacked. Now it’s late, but we must do it now in order to resist and win the war, which we didn’t start.
Russia does need to be stopped. In terms of people like Putin "Men who kill without reason, cannot be reasoned with". There is nothing to say to them now.
Compelling and haunting. Thank you, DW.
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
Empires fall and drag their brands of civilization down with them.
Stewart Stafford
I am positively surprised about the number of comments emphezising the point of having the duty to honor history .
I guess most of the level headed commentators are being German .
I am not guessing... but almost certain ,that mainly Germans and Russians learned from history... while Brits,Poles,Balts etc. are falling back into the old patterns without any hesitation .
Russians never learn. Poles and Baltics simply know USSR was no better than nazi Germany for them. USSR invaded Poland just 17 days after Hitler and USSR was Hitler's ally till 1941.
Karl Marx is crying in his grave seeing all these Soviet monuments destroy 😂😂😂
Russian learned history with their slogan “we can repeat”? And became invader in 21st century killing thousands of people
I'm Ukrainian and I want to have nothing that'd remind me about russians. That russian speaking girl with books about Leningrad might love russia or USSR, that's her choice. Ukraine is a free country, but it doesn't mean we need to have monuments of people that represent the invaders.
Wholeheartedly agree, this girl baffled me (I’m also Ukrainian) I didn’t think ussr fangirls like her existed
нет такой страны - украины. все есть и будет Россией, а уничтожение памятников не отменит неизбежную победу России))
Это памятники ваших же предков😅😅
@@vorkinoда
The Sovjet Union is just not worth remembering in oversized statues or ugly monuments. Just in our common conciousmess under "never ever again"!
Soviet Union was much better than British Empire
The Soviet Union helped free 1.4 billion in Africa from European colonialism, which killed 15 million, in the Belgian Congo alone.
@@ncheedxx0109 Lol, in your dream.
@TOFKAS01 You need to read how genocidal European colonizers were and how many tens of millions they killed. India, the largest ex-British colony, today has better relations with Russia than with the UK or America. You know why? Because for one, your hero Churchill starved 4 million Indians to death in the 1940s. That's why so many in the UK wanted his statue removed.
@@ncheedxx0109 Go to the Gulag and look at it. You have to realise that russia and the sovjet-union are genozidal empires.
Those statues of monsters like Stalin and Hitler should not be in monuments but removed and transferred to museums where they can be put in context.
They should be turned into public toilets.
Same for other dictators or straight up evil people like Stephan Bandera, Pol Pot
I would never judge this people for toppling this stuff. Regardless of Ukranians being part of some of this monuments the reality is that Russians allways saw themselves as the "true and only Soviets". Other nations in the USSR were there just to serve their purpose, as we can all clearly see on how they see Ukraine.
wow, such a nice documentary , because its about specific issues thats people face today. Honestly i liked so much . Greetings from Pristina, Kosovo
Thanks for watching and taking the time to comment.
@@DWDocumentary typical German propaganda
@Polish Gigachad i agree
@@DWDocumentary You are Welcome, :)
@Polish Gigachad where??? I m in Republic of Kosovo and it looks very Kosovarisch
As a history nerd and lover of art I find it sanding that I won't be able to visit Europe to see theses monument I've always found them interesting and have wanted to see them but I'm still a teenager in school so I don't really have the ability to travel yet but they're all being torn down before I can even go to see them
Then visit some museums. These monuments are a reminder of opresssion, occupation and suffering and not there to satisfy the needs of history nerds.
While I get the sentiment, destroying beautiful monuments won't help Ukraine, hope they replace them with something better.
I mean there were so many gorgeous buildings demolished in the Kliningrad oblast when soviets overtook it and also so many in Poland when Prussia stopped ecisting so i do support this decision of Ukrainians.
75 years ago, on the night of August 27 and 30, 1944, the British Air Force raided Koenigsberg (Kaliningrad), which killed more than 6,000 civilians and destroyed the historic city center.
@@kiki-zt8fz it doesn't matter the destruction, what matter is the reconstruction that was made with modern buildings
I think eventually after the war, some of these monuments might be remade, in a reimagined way, celebrating Ukrainian history, instead of russian oppression, but currently, i see why many people dont like em
IMO, a crack on the arc of friendship is a wonderful addition in term of cost-effectiveness.
Her argument on the equestrian statue, oh boy...
He might be criminal but "It is beautiful and if we remove it, the place will be empty". Sadly, instead of offering a counter argument, that lady is just a joke.
+++
Stalin is the new Lenin, and Lenin is an intelligent man, and said intelligent things, just like Stalin.
Very good, nuanced documentary. Thanks DW!
Thank you for your comment!
Topple everything wont change history.
Some monuments could be preserved in context others recycled for true beauty in the public square , Peace to All 🐾💯🐾
Young, Woke and of course deserving to have voices about their future country. What a complex situation. Good luck to Ukrainian youth, I truly hope they still have a country to call home.
It frustrates me to watch this because in the states we are having a similar conversation over statues that depict Confederate Soldiers from the U.S. Civil War. It is just so irritating because politicians are just using it as a wedge issue.
The main problem with most of the statue is Putin using it as a justification for his imperialistic vision and when Putin claims his country is the successor to the Soviet union it put a severely negative image on these monuments and to be real honest these monuments could be used as justification to invade other country.
One thing that is hard for foreigners to understand. For Ukrainians at this point of time having Soviet monuments almost the same as monuments for Hitler in Israel. It is simply not acceptable. Soviets and Russia did to many awful things to Ukraine and Ukrainian people. Period.
Colosseum a Roman Empire monument to slavery, violence, genocide Not only humans, several species of animals extinct here. Demolish it to. And don't forget about Egyptian pyramids. and All Mayan Architecture.
Amira Ettinger seems to be overly concerned about the Kyiv monument to Nikolay Shchors being torn down and leaving nothing in its place. The solution is simple. Replace it with a monument to Oleksandr Matsievskyi who was executed by the savage Russian invaders after defiantly muttering, "Слава Україні." Surely there is no shortage of Ukrainian heroes who are more deserving to be memorialized than the oppressive Russian occupiers.
She has to go to school again and learn Ukrainian history. The correct one.
Like Stepan Bandera?
Says savage
Blantly disregards war crimes of the ukrainians
Btw how much time did it take you to write this in cyrillic ? Cause i know that its an alien concept for westerners ofcourse our dear old alphabet cant compare to the western ones, maybe the ukrianians should switch see how they habe embarked on a journey of national destruction
Stepan Bandera is the father of Ukraine, right? Yes, that is indisputably the case.
The biggest problem with demolishing the past is repetition of the same. That’s why monuments shouldn’t be removed. But I guess land have some value…
Absolutely share this approach. Russian "putinist"s don't want to admit the reality of the all, including really brutal parts of the history, it's a USSSR' habit - to not recognize offensive and hostile politics of USSSR, unfortunately half of Russian middle ages people follow this path today. These Ukrainian girls(I share their pain) want to demolish the history, the same approach, as Russian "putinist"s and pro-Stalin. So we observe using the same tool for history demolishing from opposite sides. It's a blind way.
16:00 Wants to destroy all Soviet/Russian Symbolism, walks into the deepest Subway in the world built by the Soviets, then tells us about how they don't like the Russian Art in the subway.
We have this issue in the US with old Confederate monuments in the South. I always found these monuments charming but this gives a little different perspective.
Monuments can be symbols with varying purposes. And I would argue that the old soviet symbols are more about stamping the place as theirs, then they are about commemorating war dead. Plus, the soviet union no longer exists. So, pull them down, or regulate those you deem worthy to keep to museums where you can put context to them. And it allows the various states to erect their own monuments to honour their war dead their own way. For me this is just another necessary step in the collapse of the soviet empire. Which remember, no longer exists. The soviet union is gone, and its monuments are now without an owner. The states they exist in can do whatever they want with them.
We all sometimes can't handle history, the problem is by ignoring , it repeat it self
Replace them with statues of Bandera, other cooperators of the Nazi SS and people before them like Petliura? That's the reality, cities like Lvov already have tenths of such statues, streets names after war criminals, they are accepted by the government, etc. Not a good start for a country independent only 30 years.
Documentary starts with the claim famine was a genocide; most respectable historians know this is not the truth, ethnic Russians in the eastern part suffered the most, famine was caused by several factor like weather and wrong 5 year plan certain parts of the Soviet Union. So it is not like Stalin wanted to erase Ukraine by killing several millions.
These same westerners deny Churchill's role in the great Bengal famine in India
Vatnik spotted
@@Sigismund-von-Luxembourg hey bot previously named "@Salt-Upon-Woundss", ask for "vatnik" upgrade.
1:00 this is probably one of the coolest looking statues i've ever seen, why would anyone wanna tear that down? Can people not separate art from artist?
actually no one is talking about detryoing this statue. quite otherwise. it was a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, and after the russian invasion became an even bigger symbol, it's literally everywhere. the meaning of the statue was redefined after Ukraine gained independence. the only issue is the USSR coat of arms on the shield. they consider to change it to Ukrainian tryzub, but it's estimated to cost +- 1 million dollars (38 million hryvniasd). idk why so much, but I think we can change it a bit later))
In Ukraine, we decide what soviet and what not by how cool it is. This is cool and will be preserved
@@user-sh4mu4qw6m isnt that the motherland calls statue that is all across post soviet states?
@@idontwanna1838 well, i'm not sure if there are such monuments across all post soviet states. it's actually called 'батьківщина-мати', literal translation in English is 'fatherland-mother'. another famous monument of this type is actually 'motherland calls' as you told in Volgograd
12:22 she is not right because the ВЕЧНАЯ СЛАВА
ГЕРОЯМ ПАВШИМ В БОЯХС НЕМЕЦКО ФАШИСТСКИМИ
ЗАХВАТЧИКАМИ ЗА СВОБОДУ И НЕЗАВИСИМОСТЬ СОВЕТСКОГО СОЮЗА does not saying that they have already underestimating and considering that the land itself doesn’t belong to Russian and the soldiers died to soviet Union for its peace and people including Ukrainian people
(I’m not in the both side it’s just my opinion) I’m for peace
I think his hand symbolizes his appeal to the fallen brothers who died before reaching Berlin with him, his face is stern and sad. After all, all the soldiers then wanted one thing, so that this war would end and they would return home, which they defended with their blood
The Soviet leader Comrade Leonid Brezhnev & Soviet space engineer Sergie korolev are Ukrainian. There's many Ukrainian poets , story writers, movie director, producers and even many musicians since Russian Empire to Soviet Union ( USSR) & till today.
And who cares? Such people are simply called "traitors".
Statues and monuments are not how we remember things, theyre more what we are encouraged to celebrate or morally aspire to.
If a relative comes to my house, kills my wife, rapes my daughter and kidnaps my son and I have memories of him before that time, I don't think I should display them in my house. I must show the world that he is a murderer and rapist. The Crimean Bridge may be a magnificent architectural work, but it is actually the memory of an invasion and must be destroyed
How come that the Soviet army became Russian army? That is not correct. It also included Ukrainian, Belarusian , Polish, Checoslováquia, all the Baltic countries, Mongolian, Kazakhstan, ect ect. It’s incorrect to say that it was only the Russians that did bad things during the Soviet time. There were plenty high rank Ukrainians in the Soviet nomenclature. Stalin was not Russian by the way, he was Georgian. Everything so mixed up in this 🙄
The Red army Was the sovjet army. They occupied all the satalite states and supressed uprisings.
The warsaw pact states had their own army which never turned against their fellow poles
Excellent documentary! Ukraine has heros enough today to fill all the empty plinths and pedestals many times over.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts:)
Bandera. And they can rename the Maidan to Adolf Hitler square. That is a suitable replacement to all the Soviet monuments. they did not deserve one drop of blood that was shed to liberate them. But the upcoming yoke, being owned by American companies, will be impossible to overcome. Nobody will come to liberate them. But knowing how they are, they will once again just scatter across the world and try to instigate others to fix their problems for them. Nothing new.
Like bandera?
You mean Bandera and his henchmen? Or maybe the Maidan's "heroes"?
Those monuments honor over the 28 MILLION citizens that died fighting Nat sism.
Included MILLIONS of Ukranians.
The Fuhrer would be smiling now from hell.
Put them in museums. Make people learn from the past so it dont happen again.
As if as defeating Hitler put a stop to evils
If not at the local museum, send them back to Russia especially at the Soviet Museum near Moscow.
Opposite. People should learn from the Soviet Union to win the revolution.
In Ireland we changed the names of all our roads and towns back to the Irish names - of course we did. We tore down all the symbols of British colonial rule - of course we did. We slowly over time removed as much English influence from out country as possible - some of that was unfair and treated good people poorly - some of that was dishonest and tactics were employed for political gain - some of that was manipulative using propaganda to promote a constructed Irish identity. This is completely normal for every independent country - they get to do this because they can - they are independent and will make mistakes and grow. It has to be done and it should have been done years ago.
Lots of countries have the right to demolish Soviet WW2-related monuments. Germany sure as hell does not.
The Soviet War Memorial in Tiergarten is not a “symbol of Russian imperialism.” Remember, it was the Nazi regime that attacked and invaded the Soviet Union. That memorial is to commemorate the sacrifices of Soviet troops that put an end to Nazism-and to remind Germany that such a radical rise to power will not be tolerated.
Remember USSR was Hitler's ally till 1941 and both Nazi Germany (1st of september 1939) and USSR (17th of september 1939) invaded Poland. Hitler and Stalin had a pact to split Poland. Soviets killed 22 000 Polish people in Katyn forest in 1940. For Eastern Europe USSR was no better than nazi Germany. I bet you had no clue about it.
The Soviets were not liberators. They removed one totalitarian regime in Germany and replaced it with another. Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal once said that the East German Stasi was worse than the Gestapo. Also the Soviets committed murders and rapes against German and Polish civilians and looted and destroyed property as they "liberated" their countries. The Soviet war memorial in Berlin glorifies Stalin and the Soviet conquest of Eastern Europe and should be torn down.
You do understand it is divisive, right? You cannot untangle the liberation by Soviet soldiers from the immediate occupation and suppression that followed it. The USSR was basically just as brutal in land grabbing and imperialism as the nazi regime was; any monument that commemorates the Soviets will leave a bitter and nasty taste in a lot of people's mouths.
These monuments are the property of Germany and can be removed whenever the German government feels like it...
@@Blanka1100 Hi Galina blanca. Have you read the wrong books back? The USSR could not be friends with Germany after 38. Since Germany and Poland attacked Czechoslovakia and pulled it apart .The USSR then planned to help Czechoslovakia according to the mutual assistance agreement, but Poland did not let the Red Army troops through. Then the USSR imposed a condition on Poland. If they annex part of Czechoslovakia, then the USSR will leave the Riga Treaty of 1921 concluded as a result of the Polish-Russian war. In which the lands of western Ukraine and western Belarus were recognized for Poland. In 39, on September 17, the USSR regained western Ukraine, western Belarus and part of Lithuania along the Curzon line. Due to the fact that the Polish government fled (September 16, 1939) and it was impossible to allow the seizure of these territories by Germany. Since this would threaten the USSR in the future. The territories of Lithuania were returned to Lithuania. Then it was an independent state. No one declared war on the USSR in 1939, just as in 1945 they could not prove that the USSR had attacked Poland.
Except the monuments, all municipal and industrial buildings made by Soviet regime, should be removed too
As a traveler from South Africa,I learnt a lot from asking questions to the local people from European cities....
Some moved the statues to a different location.....like Budapest. Then you can visit the place,if you so wish...
But driving into Minsk,you see all the war tanks along the road,and it may be offencing to some people....
I think moving them is perhaps better than destroying them. But that is only my opinion.......
If we can take down our Confederate statues here in America. Than it makes sense the the Soviet ones should come down too.
The Confederates were and are also Americans. The monuments were to provide reconciliation for a divide nation.
The Confederates fought for reaction. The Soviets fought for progress and the defeat of fascism and imperialism.
@@themeerofkats8908 ahh not so much. They were perfectly happy to be allied with Hitler
@badofi Well "socialists" telling Ukrainian and Baltic people to not remove icons of Moscow domination is like telling African Americans not to remove Confederate monuments.
@TheMeerOfKats Hahaha! Progress? Ok, let comeback to reality. Not argue political ideology. But I was just pointing out how both CS and Soviet statues are not wanted and will probably be taken down.