In Helsinki, the “Peace in the World” monument, a gift from the Soviet Union to Finland, was dismantled. This was reported on Monday, August 8, by local television company Yle.

According to her, the monument, which stood on Hakaniemenranta Street, was removed from its pedestal in the morning, loaded on a barge and sent to the warehouse of the city’s art museum. Its future fate will be determined later by the museum administration and Helsinki City Hall. City officials explained the decision to remove the monument by reorganizing traffic on the street and adjacent square. A sidewalk will be placed in its place.

The 6.5 meter tall bronze composition World Peace by Soviet sculptor Oleg Kiryukhin depicts people from different continents holding a globe framed by branches in raised hands. Moscow donated the Helsinki monument in 1989, and its unveiling took place in January 1990, shortly after the fall of the Berlin Wall. It has repeatedly caused controversy and been attacked by vandals. The debate over the need to dismantle the monument has arisen in recent months in the context of Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.

Dismantling of Soviet monuments

After the outbreak of the war, monuments from the times of the USSR also began to be massively dismantled in the Baltic countries. On August 4, the Estonian government decided “as soon as possible” to remove all Soviet monuments from public space. According to various estimates, there are 200 to 400 of these monuments in the country.

Earlier, Latvia decided to get rid of Soviet monuments and monuments, in particular, in Riga, they decided to demolish the monument to Soviet soldiers – liberators. Following the Riga model, monuments are being removed or moved in other cities across the country, calling them symbols of Soviet occupation.