Russia concerned at decision to demolish Soviet memorials

12 May, 2007 21:55 / Updated 17 years ago

As authorities in the western Ukrainian town of Lvov, decided to create a special commission to determine, which monuments around the city should be taken down Russia has expressed its concern.

On Friday, Lvov's city council voted to demolish a number of monuments to Soviet forces, including a World War II memorial in the city centre.This echoes a similar incident in Estonia, when a Soviet soldier memorial was moved from the centre of the capital Tallinn – a move that ended in violent street clashes. Russia's Foreign Ministry says that the demolition of statues will do nothing but cause resentment, and the decision was made purely to score points on Ukraine's political map, ahead of parliamentary elections.