Sunday19 January 2025
rezzonans.in.ua

Where in Ukraine can you see Brezhnev, and why was there a recent assassination attempt on him?

For a long time, there was considerable debate surrounding this monument—some believed it had no place in the city, while others argued that it should be preserved.
Где в Украине можно встретить Брежнева и почему недавно произошло покушение на него?

Since 2023, the monument to Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev is located in a designated area near the Museum of the History of the City of Kamenskoye in the Dnipropetrovsk region. With the onset of decommunization, there were numerous questions regarding this monument, and it was recently vandalized.

This was reported by “Our Reporter”. A journalist from the site stated that unknown individuals knocked off part of the letters in the surname. As a result, the inscription "Brezhnev" was altered to "Brezh".

Relevant photos were shared on social media, and soon the police learned about the incident. Law enforcement is currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the event.

It is noted that Elena Timchenko, the senior communication inspector of the Kamenskoye district police department, informed the publication that the information about the incident was received from a museum employee.

It should be pointed out that there have been lengthy debates regarding this monument for a long time. Some believed it had no place in the city, while others insisted it should remain. Although the monument has been moved to the area near the Museum as a historical landmark, it still troubles some individuals.

The History of the Monument and Who Brezhnev Was

The monument was created by the renowned sculptor Viktor Sonin (1934 – 2008). The bust was unveiled on May 8, 1976, on Freedom Avenue (then Lenin Avenue) at the site where there was previously a monument called "In Space" (now, in a modified form, the "In Space" monument is located in Dnipro near the technical university).

Interestingly, Leonid Brezhnev saw his monument in person only once, during his last visit to his hometown in 1979.

Leonid Brezhnev was the General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. This was the highest leadership position in the USSR, and Brezhnev held it (1964-1982) until his death. He was originally from Kamenskoye, where the monument is situated.

Notably, in 2023, as part of decommunization, the Kyiv City Council stripped Soviet General Secretary Leonid Brezhnev and several other figures from that era of their honorary citizenship titles. It’s worth mentioning that the title of honorary citizen of Kyiv was established in 1982, and Brezhnev was the first to receive it.

As a reminder, “Telegraph” previously reported on how the monument at the grave of Mykola Mozhovyi looks. He was an outstanding Ukrainian singer and composer.