Ukraine outlaws Communist names in fresh break with past

Ukraine today outlawed Communist names, symbols and even songs in a fresh break with the country's Soviet past as its soldiers fight pro-Russian separatists in the east.
The legislation, which also targets Nazi propaganda was adopted by 254 votes in favour in the 450-member parliament, or Rada.
It bans all symbols and propaganda representing "the totalitarian Communist and Nazi regimes" -- from street names and flags, to monuments and plaques.
For the former Soviet republic it could mean a major overhaul of public buildings and town squares across the country, with Lenin Streets to be renamed and any remaining statue of the Soviet leader removed.

Even a towering Liberty-like statue 102 metres high (300 feet) and weighing in at 150 tonnes that greets visitors to Kiev will need a revamp. The mammoth "Motherland" statue holds high a huge shield emblazoned with the Communist-era hammer and sickle.
The fate of the Communist leader Lenin's many statues became the focus of debate during the late 2013 Maidan protests that led to the ouster of then pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych and sparked events that led to the war in the east.

As pro-Western protesters toppled Lenin effigies in rage, pro-Russian separatists in the east gathered at their feet.

Today's ban comes as Kiev-Moscow ties hit an all-time low with the toll of over 6,000 mounting by the day in the war pitting government troops against rebels who often hanker after the Soviet Union.
"The USSR was a great country," separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko told AFP in the rebel bastion Donetsk, echoing President Vladimir Putin who has dubbed the collapse of the Soviet Union "the major geopolitical disaster of the century."
Putin is accused by the West of arming the east Ukraine rebels to stop Ukraine looking to the EU and NATO for partnership, an allegation denied by Moscow.

Ukraine's new legislation condemns "totalitarian Communist and Nazi regimes in Ukraine" and bans "all public denial" of their "criminal character" as well as the "production", "circulation" or "public utilisation" of their symbols, except for educational or scientific purposes -- or found in a cemetery.
A list of banned items includes the Soviet flag and anthem as well as monuments and historical plaques commemorating Communist leaders. Penalties for violating the law range from five to 10 years.