Workers remove the Soviet coat of arms from the shield in the hand of the country's tallest stature, the Motherland Monument, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Aug 1, 2023. (PHOTO / AP)
KYIV – The Ukrainian authorities removed the Soviet-era "hammer and sickle" symbol from the landmark Motherland monument in Kyiv, Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne reported Tuesday.
The Soviet emblem on the monument will be replaced by a trident, the official coat of arms of Ukraine by Aug 24, when the country celebrates Independence Day, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy said in a statement.
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Experts have carried out some preparatory work and constructed the metal sculpture of the trident, said the statement on the ministry's website.
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The ministry also said it will consider a proposal made by local scientists to change the name of the Motherland monument to Mother Ukraine.
Inaugurated in 1981, the 102-meter-tall Motherland monument is considered one of the architectural symbols of Kyiv as well as Ukraine.
