According to the BBC, since the beginning of the war more than 80 Soviet-era memorials have been demolished, with many being monuments to figures of Russian culture, like Pushkin and Gorky. At the same time, monuments with Soviet symbols continue to be removed in Ukraine: monuments to Soviet soldiers, military leaders and Communist Party officials have disappeared from city squares and parks, memorial tanks and planes have been taken to museums, and hammer and sickle emblems, along with Red Army stars, are being knocked down by activists before local authorities get to them.

Many such monuments should have disappeared during the active phase of decommunization initiated by the government after the Maidan in 2014, but in some places the process was just now started. For example, discussions about demolishing the Soviet police monument in Nizhyn (Chernihiv Region) went on for 10 years, but the demolition took place only at the beginning of May.

At the same time, the occupation administrations in the occupied areas are actively restoring Lenin monuments. The symbolism of this act underscores the ideological emptiness of the occupation administrations, which are unable to offer a new project. That said, though the decision to restore Lenin was predictable, what remains a mystery is where the occupation authorities are getting these old monuments. They're not taking them from Russia, are they?

Discussions about getting rid of communist symbols have intensified in other countries as well. In May, the Latvian parliament decided to demolish a monument to Soviet soldiers in Riga. Finland also got rid of its last two Lenin monuments (in the cities of Turku and Kotka). The process has begun in Germany as well: in March activists wrapped a T-34 tank in the center of Berlin in the Ukrainian flag, after which German politicians began to insist on the demolition of the memorial and other Soviet monuments in the city. The Kremlin has diligently worked to monopolize the memory of the Soviet people's Victory in World War II, meaning that any monument to Soviet soldiers is now associated with the atrocities of the current war – this obscures the Victory fought for by millions of Ukrainian soldiers side by side with Russians.