On December 1, police guarded the statue of Vladimir Lenin in Kiev so that citizens protesting President Viktor Yanukovich's turn away from Europe and toward Russia wouldn't attempt anything radical.
REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
Riot police stand guard in front of a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin in Kiev December 1, 2013.
Today the statue was toppled in a powerful act of defiance.
Here's the triumphant scene of protesters pwning decapitated Lenin with a sledgehammer:
REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
A man holds a sledgehammer as he smashes a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin, which was toppled by protesters during a rally organized by supporters of EU integration in Kiev, December 8, 2013.
REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov
People climb up to the top of a pedestal after a statue of Soviet state founder Vladimir Lenin was toppled by protesters during a rally organized by supporters of EU integration in Kiev, December 8, 2013.
A huge symbolic victory:
REUTERS/Stoyan Nenov