Central Asia’s largest Lenin statue taken down to be replaced by flagpole

In Osh, Kyrgyzstan, authorities have dismantled a 75-foot statue of Vladimir Lenin, once believed to be the tallest of its kind in Central Asia.

Erected in 1975, when Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union, the monument's removal was captured in online photos on Saturday, showing the statue being lowered by a crane.

While many countries formerly part of the Soviet Union have been distancing themselves from Russia, the removal of the monument was framed by officials in Osh as routine city planning.

In a statement, Osh City Hall called the move “common practice” aimed at improving the “architectural and aesthetic appearance” of the area.

Officials also noted that Lenin monuments have been “dismantled or moved to other places” in Russian cities including St Petersburg and Belgorod, and said that the issue “should not be politicized.”

The monument, they said, will be replaced by a flagpole, as was the case when a different Lenin statue was relocated in the capital, Bishkek.

The move came a week after Kyrgyzstan’s ally Russia unveiled a monument to brutal Soviet dictator Josef Stalin at one of Moscow’s busiest subway stations.