What toppled Lenin statues tell us about Ukraine’s crisis

Washington Post ^ | 30 Sep 14 | Rick Noack

[elhombrelibre]

In an incident reflecting growing Ukrainian anger toward the Kremlin, anti-Russian protesters pulled down a massive Vladimir Lenin statue in Ukraine's second-largest city late Sunday. To many Ukrainians, Lenin is a symbol of the Soviet Union and Russia's aggressive support for the separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Despite the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union which resulted in the split between Russia and Ukraine, hundreds of monuments to the founder of modern Russia survived the transition. Over the last months, however, many have been toppled: This map – based on accounts of activists -- shows the massive demolition of Ukrainian Lenin monuments in 2014 alone.

[elhombrelibre]

This is a growing trend in Ukraine and the former Soviet colonies that's bound to upset Putin and FREEPERs For Putin and Lenin. So be it.

[To Hell With Poverty]

What? Lenin himself wasn’t reason enough to tear them down?

[elhombrelibre]

Lots of Russians, the chauvinist types, like Stalin, Lenin, and Putin. They believe in stomping people who don’t agree with them.

[Scooter100]

Great idea. Anyone got a list of Obama statues?

[elhombrelibre]

They can’t even name a school after him. Seriously. As the comedian said, “The school didn’t want kids to think they could go there for four years and do nothing.”

[GeronL]

To Mad Vlad Putin, Lenin is a holy man.

[elhombrelibre]

True, and Putin is a holy man to scum who think might makes right; they’re the admirers of the logic of Machiavelli and Nietzsche. They take Nietzsche’s BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL and Putinism and create a new idol.

[VanShuyten]

You need to visit Seattle.

http://fremont.com/about/lenin/

[To Hell With Poverty]

Grrr...I know about that one, no need to visit! >:(

[lavaroise]

Funnynour liberals put up pictures of Mao and Lenin and never see Russian aggression

[Cossak]

Stalin was Georgian, Lenin had Kalmyk and Jewish ancestors and his writings were full of Russophobia.

[elhombrelibre]

Using your logic ethnic group identity politics logic, most of our early presidents were Scots, JFK was an Irishman, LBJ was an Enlishman, Barak Obama is a Kenyan, and none of them is an American. Lenin was only Russophobic in the sense that he didn't respect their religion and culture. He emulated the same tactics of the Russian Czars, though, with even greater disregard for human life than they had due to his communist ideology. I can no longer give Russians a pass when they take no interest in developing into a law-abiding, self-governing nation, and gleefully allow a patent fraud like Putin to hijack their liberty for the purpose of atavistic Russian chauvinism. Obama and Putin are frauds. One doesn't cancel the other one out.