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Protesters Attempt to Topple Monument of Soviet Statesman

Pro-Ukrainian protesters gathered in the southeastern Ukrainian city of Zaporizhia on Friday evening, November 7, in an attempt to topple a statue of Soviet statesman Felix Dzerzhinsky. Clashes broke out in Liberty Square between demonstrators, pro-Russians and police, as masked activists tried to tear down the monument, according to local reports.

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that organisers tried to distance themselves from the action just half an hour before it kicked off as they anticipated trouble. The protesters did not succeed in tearing down the statue.

Dzerzhinsky became the first director of the All-Russian Extraordinary Commission for Combating Counter-Revolution and Sabotage—the Cheka—in 1917, which was known for executing and imprisoning thousands without trial. Credit: YouTube/Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty