Iconic statue loses Soviet emblem

The Soviet-era hammer and sickle emblem has been removed from Kiev’s Motherland Monument, to be replaced with a Ukrainian tryzub, or trident. Work on the statue is set to be completed by late August, and with it will come a new name - the Motherland Monument will be known as ’Mother Ukraine,’ pending approval by the culture ministry. The original emblem will reportedly be moved to Ukraine’s War Museum, completing what Kiev calls the ’rebrand.’