Kyrgyzstan has dismantled a monumental statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, believed to be the tallest in Central Asia. Standing at 23 meters, this statue had loomed over the city of Osh for the past half-century, a remnant of the Soviet era. Images surfaced recently showing the statue on the ground, having been lowered by crane in a discreet operation. This development follows a trend in several former Soviet republics to redefine their national identity, shedding some of their Russian ties. However, local officials have minimized the significance of the statue's removal.
Kyrgyz authorities are likely cautious of potential backlash from their ally, Russia; just a week prior, Russia unveiled a new statue of another Soviet figure, Josef Stalin, in Moscow. An official statement from Osh's City Hall referred to the statue's relocation as a standard practice for enhancing the city's "architectural and aesthetic appearance," mentioning other instances of Lenin statues being removed in Russia as precedent. The statue is slated to be replaced with a flagpole, mirroring a recent replacement of a similar Lenin statue in Bishkek, the capital.
Since gaining independence 34 years ago with the Soviet Union's dissolution, traces of Kyrgyzstan’s Soviet past persist, such as the naming of its second-tallest mountain, Lenin Peak.
