KyivPride’s stunt turned a soviet statue into a pride symbol

Human rights are still not safeguarded in Ukraine. The central portion of the country is homophobic and only supports the notion of the heterosexual relationship. So, being a supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community in Ukraine is fraught with danger.

The negligible history of pride events in Ukraine has always made it challenging to gain and raise awareness about the LGBTQIA+ community. And since the pandemic outbreak, even the few events that were happening were cancelled or shifted to online platforms. However, Kyiv Pride decided to take on the challenge and do something monumental. Here’s what the NGO did.

Along with the agency Saatchi & Saatchi Ukraine, KyivPride used drones to hijack Europe’s tallest statue, the iconic Motherland Monument, by hanging a massive rainbow flag to its sword in one go. The iconic statue was renamed from a symbol of protecting Soviet principles to a symbol of safeguarding human rights, promoting gender equality and supporting pride.

The stunt may look relatively easy, but a lot of struggle and hard work was behind it. The organizers had one shot to hang the flag without damaging the statute. They were able to pull off the act before the police stopped them.

Everything went smoothly with meticulousness and luck. The Motherland Monument took on new significance for Ukrainians and became a symbol of pride. This stunt became the year’s most talked-about event in Ukraine & Eastern Europe.