Odesa to lose its Catherine the Great monument
After dismantling, a more suitable place for the monument will be found (Photo:Dumskaya)
The controversial monument to Russian Empress Catherine the Great in the center of Odesa will be dismantled in the near future, regional governor Serhiy Bratchuk told Ukrainian TV broadcasters on Nov. 8.
“Four elements of the ‘Founders of Odesa’ monument will return to a museum,” said Bratchuk.
“As for the statue of Catherine II – which has no value – it will be dismantled, not destroyed. There will be a safe place where it will stay. I think this issue will be closed in the near future.”
Earlier it was reported that after the statue was vandalized on several occasions, the Catherine the Great monument was draped in a black sack, and the overall composition was protected with plywood.
At the same time, Odesa Mayor Hennady Trukhanov, who is often accused of Russian sympathies, previously strongly opposed dismantling monument. He even allocated UAH 2,000,000 ($54,000) of municipal funds for its protection. Public pressure eventually prevailed, and Trukhanov acceded to its removal.
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