Finland's capital dismantles USSR-gifted monument
The "World Peace" monument received as a gift from the USSR in 1989 was removed from the capital of Finland.
The Finnish media Yle reports.
The dismantling of the monument was stressful in advance due to its considerable weight, but in the end, the process went without problems. The city authorities intend to equip a sidewalk at the monument's place.
The monument belongs to the Helsinki Art Museum and will be delivered to a warehouse in the East Uusimaa region. Due to its large size, it is planned to be transported from Helsinki by sea by barge.
The city of Helsinki and the Helsinki Art Museum will decide the final fate of the monument later.
Helsinki received a monument from Moscow in 1989. It was opened to the public in 1990. Even then, the memorial caused many discussions.
The monument was severely damaged when three students doused it with tar and feathers in 1991. The students wanted to convey that the donated statue from the Soviet Union was not suitable for Helsinki.
The work of the Soviet sculptor Oleg Kyryukhin depicts a group of people carrying a globe above them.
Public debate about the appropriateness of the monument has also flared up in recent months following russia's attack on Ukraine. In the spring, the inscription "world money" was applied to the pedestal, and Helsinki residents placed flags of Ukraine in the hands of the human figures of the monument.
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