In Osh, Kyrgyzstan, authorities have dismantled a 23 meter statue of Vladimir Lenin, believed to be the tallest of its kind in Central Asia. Erected in 1975, when Kyrgyzstan was still part of the Soviet Union, the monument’s removal was captured in online photos on 7.6.2025, showing the statue being lowered by a crane. 

While many countries formerly part of the Soviet Union have been distancing themselves from Russia, the removal of the monument was framed by officials in Osh as routine city planning. In a statement, Osh City Hall called the move “common practice” aimed at improving the “architectural and aesthetic appearance” of the area.

Officials also noted that Lenin monuments have been “dismantled or moved to other places” in Russian cities including St Petersburg and Belgorod, and said that the issue “should not be politicized.” The monument, they said, will be replaced by a flagpole, as was the case when a different Lenin statue was relocated in the capital, Bishkek.

The Bishkek Lenin statue staying in the city’s main square was move already back in 2003, and is now located behind the national museum. It is currently yet known where one of the most visible Soviet heritage sights in Kyrgyzstan and in all Central Asia has been moved or if it has been destroyed.