A concrete obelisk with Soviet stars at the top that was the centerpiece of a monument commemorating the Red Army’s victory over Nazi Germany was taken down Thursday in Latvia's capital.
Heavy machinery was spotted behind a green privacy screen fence at the foot of the nearly 80-meter (260-foot) obelisk shortly before its removal. The column, which had stood like a high-rise in the landscape of downtown Riga, crashed into a nearby pond at Victory Park.
