On Sunday, the state symbol of Ukraine, the trident, was installed on the Motherland monument in the Ukrainian capital.
Despite dozens of Russian attacks over the past week, Ukraine is getting “significant results” thanks to US Patriot systems and German IRIS-T, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video message Sunday evening.
Zelensky said that he was informed about the use of modern air defense systems received from partners, in particular the Patriot system manufactured by Raytheon and IRIS-T manufactured by Germany.
“These are powerful systems, highly efficient,” the Ukrainian president said. “They have already brought significant results, and not only for Ukraine.”
According to him, the destruction of Russian missiles “gives the world confidence that a terrorist state is not able to break our collective security.”
Ukraine has repelled a “significant portion” of Russian attacks over the past week, shooting down 65 missiles of various types and 178 drones, including 87 Shahed drones, Zelenskiy said.
Meanwhile, on Sunday in Kiev, the state symbol of Ukraine, the trident, was installed on the Motherland monument in Kiev instead of the old Soviet symbols, which became one of the most striking examples of the country’s rejection of the Soviet past.
The monument, which is a steel statue of a female warrior 62 meters high, was built in 1981 on a hilltop on the right bank of the Dnieper. In her right hand, the woman holds a 16-meter sword, and in her left hand, an 8-meter shield.
Initially, the coat of arms of the Soviet Union was depicted on the shield – a crossed hammer and sickle surrounded by ears of wheat.
In 2015, after Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea, Ukraine declared Soviet symbols illegal.
Thousands of streets and dozens of cities and villages in the country have been renamed. Streets and squares that used to bear the names of Soviet party leaders or military leaders were given names associated with Ukrainian history, prominent representatives of the Ukrainian people or their friends, such as the late Senator John McCain.
Source : VOA
