Ukrainians Target Pushkin in Drive Against Russian Influence

When Russia first attacked Ukraine in 2014, Vadym Pozdnyakov was among a crowd that toppled a statue of Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin in the city of Kharkiv, northeastern Ukraine.

Now, nearly a year into Russia’s full-scale invasion, he is leading a campaign with a new target: monuments to 19th-century Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin.

Ukrainians are taking aim at the symbols of Russian cultural dominance that Moscow spread during centuries of rule over territory that now makes up much of Ukraine. In recent months, authorities have removed monuments to writers including Maksim Gorky and scientists such as Mikhail Lomonosov.