Removing statues and renaming streets: Odesa cuts out Russia

The statue of Catherine the Great, which long stood on a central square in Odesa, was removed late last year. Photograph: Kasia Strek/The Guardian

In the courtyard of Odesa’s Fine Arts Museum, a police officer unlocked a large, grey container and pulled back the doors to reveal Catherine the Great. She was laid out flat on a wooden support tray, one arm outstretched as if in indignation and the other at her side, holding a scroll ordering the construction of Odesa.

The Russian empress, or rather her bronze likeness, used to stand proudly on a pedestal in the heart of the city that she founded in the late 18th century. Now she is here, locked in a box away from public view.