Ukraine gets rid of Soviet symbols on Motherland monument in Kyiv

Workers mount a Ukrainian national emblem to the shield of the 'Motherland' monument replacing the Soviet one, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, at a compound of the World War II museum in Kyiv, Ukraine August 6, 2023. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

KYIV (Reuters) - Workers installed Ukraine's national trident on an iconic monument depicting the Motherland in Kyiv on Sunday, replacing old Soviet symbols in one of the most visible examples of breaking away from the past and Moscow's influence.

The monument, a 62-metre-tall (200-foot) steel statue of a female warrior, was built in 1981 on top of a hill on the right bank of the Dnipro River. Gazing sternly east, the figure holds a 16-metre (52-foot) sword in her right hand and an eight-metre-long shield in her left.