Ukraine Removes Hammer and Sickle from Soviet-era Statue | VOA News

Workers remove a hammer and sickle from a giant statue in Kyiv, Ukraine, as part of a campaign to remove Soviet symbols that has ramped up since Russia invaded Ukraine last year. The 62-meter-high steel figure of a woman holding a sword and shield bearing the USSR-linked symbols was unveiled in 1981 as a memorial to Soviet victory in World War II. But since Russia’s invasion, Ukraine doubled down on the removal of references to Soviet history and Russian culture from geographical names, and a law on decolonization came into force this summer. Meanwhile, Ukraine and Poland called in the ambassadors from each other’s countries on Tuesday as a dispute escalated after a foreign policy adviser to Poland’s president said Kyiv should show more appreciation for Warsaw’s support in its war with Russia. The adviser, Marcin Przydacz, also said the Polish government must defend the interests of the country’s farmers -- a reference to a ban on imports of Ukrainian commodities