The statue, which towers over Kyiv, will also be renamed Mother Ukraine as the government moves to ‘de-Russify’ the country
Ukraine has installed a trident on the USSR-built Motherland Monument that towers over Kyiv, replacing a Soviet hammer and sickle emblem in a symbolic break from the past.
The statue of a woman armed with a sword and shield will also be renamed Mother Ukraine and officially re-unveiled on independence day on August 24, as Kyiv moves to purge public areas of reminders of imperial Russian rule.
Ukrainians welcomed the changes as construction workers posed on top of the monument early on Sunday after winching the 7.60 metre-tall trident into place.
“Finally, after so many years, it is happening,” said Ivan on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Me, and probably a lot of people, have waited for a long time and now we can finally show Russians that their ideology and nation has no place in Ukraine.”