Zelenskyy: Monument to Mazepa to Be Built at Site of Former Lenin Statue
Zelenskyy said, "This individual's historical significance warrants a formal monument in our capital. I have already identified the most suitable location. Since December 2013, this site along Kyiv's Shevchenko Avenue has remained vacant. I am confident that where Lenin’s statue once fell, Mazepa’s statue will stand tall and enduring."
A red granite monument to Lenin had long stood on Kyiv’s Shevchenko Avenue, but it was toppled by protesters during the 2014 Maidan Revolution.
Ivan Mazepa (1639–1709) was indeed a pivotal and highly controversial figure in Ukrainian history. He served as the Hetman (Cossack leader) of Left-Bank Ukraine during the time of Tsar Peter the Great, and his historical reputation has undergone a dramatic reversal over time.
In his early years, Mazepa enjoyed great trust from Peter the Great, collaborating closely with Moscow for two decades to maintain stability within the Hetmanate regime, thereby amassing vast wealth and becoming one of the richest men in Europe at the time.
During his rule, he actively promoted Ukrainian culture, education, and religious development. He supported the Kyiv Mohyla Academy and funded the construction of numerous religious buildings in Ukrainian Baroque style, including the Kyiv Cathedral of St. Sophia, ushering in a golden age for Ukrainian culture.
After the outbreak of the Great Northern War in 1700, disillusioned by Peter the Great’s treatment of Ukraine as a mere province—disregarding its autonomy—and by heavy losses suffered by Cossack forces in battle, Mazepa began to lose faith in Moscow. In 1708, he secretly allied with King Charles XII of Sweden and openly declared war against Peter the Great. However, he was defeated in the Battle of Poltava and died shortly thereafter.
Mazepa’s betrayal enraged Peter the Great. As retaliation, Russian forces burned down his capital, Baturyn, and carried out a symbolic execution using a puppet substitute. At the same time, the Russian Orthodox Church excommunicated him and issued an annual curse upon him.
In Russian literature—such as Pushkin’s epic poem *Poltava*—and in mainstream Soviet narratives, he was long portrayed as a power-hungry, traitorous “villain” or “defector.”
Yet in Ukraine, especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union and with the rise of nationalism, his image was completely reimagined. He is now celebrated as a hero striving for national freedom and a symbol of Ukraine’s struggle for independence. Today, his portrait appears on the 10 hryvnia banknote, and in 2022, Ukraine named a newly built frigate after him.
Original source: toutiao.com/article/1869238355548187/
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