'Good Bye, Lenin!' Finland ditches last statue of Soviet leader

Finland removes last large Lenin statue

Some brought champagne to celebrate, while one man protested with a Soviet flag as the bronze bust of the leader was lifted off its pedestal

Finland on Tuesday tore down its last public statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, as dozens gathered in the southeastern city of Kotka to watch its removal.

Some brought champagne to celebrate, while one man protested with a Soviet flag as the bronze bust of the leader, in a pensive pose with his chin in his hand, was lifted off its pedestal and driven away on a lorry.

For some people, the statue was "to some extent dear, or at least familiar" but many also called for its removal because "it reflects a repressive period in Finnish history", city planning director Markku Hannonen said.

This forced neutrality to appease its stronger neighbour coined the term "Finlandization".

"Some think that it should be preserved as a historical monument, but most think that it should go, that it doesn't belong here," Leikkonen said.

It was vandalised several times, even prompting Finland to apologise to Moscow after someone painted Lenin's arm red, local daily Helsingin Sanomat wrote.

In April, the western Finnish city of Turku decided to remove a bust of Lenin from its city centre after Russia's invasion of Ukraine sparked a debate about the statue.

In August, the capital Helsinki removed a bronze sculpture called "World Peace" gifted by Moscow in 1990.

ehu/po/gw

...