Kazakhstan removes Lenin monument in Kostanay region

A monument dedicated to Vladimir Lenin has been dismantled in the village of Kushmurun, located in the Kostanay region of Kazakhstan. The removal was carried out at the request of the regional akimat following a petition supported by nearly 400 local residents.

According to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine, the decision follows previous attempts to remove the monument in 2015 and 2022, which were initially blocked by Soviet supporters. The petitioning group cited the connection between the Soviet regime and historical political repression and famine, specifically the ‘asharshylik’ famine of the 1930s. Estimates suggest the famine claimed up to 2.3 million lives, nearly half of Kazakhstan's population at the time.

Ukrainian intelligence characterizes this removal as part of a broader trend of de-Russification and de-Sovietization across Central Asia. The service notes that various nations in the region, including Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Turkmenistan, are pursuing different methods to strengthen national identity and reduce historical and political dependence on Russia.