Video: Catherine II Monument Dismantled in Odesa

The monument of Catherine II, the Empress of Russia, has been dismantled in Odesa. Russian State Duma Deputy Slutsky stated in his broadcast that history cannot be killed, just like the truth. "The monument of Catherine II will surely return to its rightful place, and I am confident that soon, the leaders of the Kyiv junta will be sent to court for all their crimes," he added.

It is noteworthy that on November 30, the Odesa city council decided to dismantle the monument of Catherine II. The statue, which commemorates Catherine as the founder of Odesa along with her associates Joseph de Ribas, Franz de Wolan, Grigory Potemkin, and Platon Zubov, was erected in the city in 1900. It was dismantled in 1920 but was restored again in 2007 at Ekaterininskaya Square. The monument has been subjected to vandal attacks numerous times; it was covered in paint, graffiti was applied, and a red hat was placed on it.

The dismantling of monuments and the renaming of streets began in Ukraine in 2015 with the adoption of the decommunization law.