Last large Soviet army monument is dismantled in Latvia

Around 5:00 am, work on the demolition of the monument to Soviet soldiers, informally called Alyosha, began in Rēzekne, LSM reports.

In three hours, the workers removed the statue from the pedestal. The foundation of the monument was also dismantled.

The city authorities did not call on residents to say goodbye to the monument, as was the case the day before during the dismantling in Daugavpils, which then caused small riots. 

The day before, the mayor of Rēzekne Aleksandrs Bartaševičs said that the dismantling of Alyosha is a “big mistake for the state”, which is not supported by the majority of residents. However, he emphasized that “we have enough civilized people to accept it.”

In a video message, the mayor called on the population not to “provoke the police and behave with dignity” during the dismantling.

The monument to the Red Army soldiers, which is being dismantled, was installed in 1976. It was created by sculptors Otto Kalejs and Ojārs Siliņš.