The Independence Column, which stands on Maidan Square in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, has since today also been given a place in Mini-Europe. The new model was inaugurated in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs Hadja Lahbib and Natalia Anoshyna, chargé d’affaires of Ukraine in Belgium.
Mini-Europe normally only shows monuments with a story of former or current member states of the European Union, but in this case the miniature park makes an exception. It also wants to reflect on the war in Ukraine and all the consequences for the EU. The new model consists of four scenes.
The two meter high Independence Column forms the centerpiece of the set-up. At its foot is a pro-European protest with Ukrainian and European flags, just like in 2013 on Maidan Square. In the foreground of the square, EU President Ursula von der Leyen receives his formal application for EU accession from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Next to the column, the consequences of the Russian invasion are symbolized by a column of relief trucks and the first Ukrainian refugees crossing the Polish border.
Mini-Europe did not hesitate when Natalia Anoshyna submitted the application for a Ukrainian model a month ago. “We want to belong to the EU and fight for a common future without a dictatorship,” says Anoshyna. “I hope that soon, after winning this war, we can go to a peaceful Ukraine and Kiev to see the original monument.”
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