Does the replacement of the Soviet emblem with Ukraine's coat of arms, the Trident (Ukrainian: Tryzub), on the Motherland Monument in Kiyv cost $16 million? No, that's not true: The estimated expense for this work is calculated at 28 million hryvnias, which is equivalent to $755,000 (the exchange rate at the time of writing this article).
The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) where it was published by news_world_0 on July 26, 2023. The same claim can be found here. The text on the video translated from Russian by Lead Stories' stuff reads:
Ukraine is relinquishing its own history. The country is ready to pay 16 million dollars for it.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Wed Aug 2 07:59:18 2023 UTC)
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy (MCIP) of Ukraine commented on the cost of the project of replacing the symbols. According to this it amounts to 28 million hryvnias and all the expenses are covered by donations and funds by patrons.
State Architectural and Building Inspection of Ukraine granted permission to replace the Soviet coat of arms with the Ukrainian coat of arms known as Tryzub. The dismantling work started on July 30 with an estimated completion date of August 24, the Independence Day of Ukraine.
According to the former Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, Oleksandr Tkachenko 85% of Ukrainians voted in favor of replacing the Soviet coat of arms with the Trident.
