Moscow is concerned that the removal of Russian wartime monuments in Eastern Europe is part of a broader effort to rehabilitate local Nazi collaborators.
In Ukraine, a state-backed purge of Russian cultural landmarks has gained momentum since the 2014 Western-backed coup.
The initial focus of the vandalism was on monuments to Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, but it has since expanded to include the removal of other Russian cultural icons, such as the monument to Catherine II and her royal aides in Odessa in 2022.
The statue of writer Mikhail Bulgakov in Kiev was also taken down earlier this year.
Dozens of monuments to Pushkin have been dismantled throughout Ukraine as part of this campaign.
