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Soviet architecture vanishes as Central Asia drifts from Moscow
Central Asian countries are rapidly demolishing Soviet-era architecture and mosaics as part of a cultural shift away from Russian influence.
Authorities claim that demolitions are cost-efficient and necessary to provide housing for a growing population of about 80 million.
Critics argue that real-estate developments prioritize profit over preserving historical memory, with little public consultation due to restricted freedom of expression.
Some artists and activists hope for a future revival of Soviet mosaics, emphasizing their artistic and historical value despite current demolitions.
Thousands of buildings and monumental works inherited from the Soviet Union disappear every year from Central Asian capitals, victims of a policy of urban renewal that also reflects a desire to break with the past. In Dushanbe, a gigantic fresco depicting cosmonauts and Soviet engineers still adorns the facade of a building. This work, which celebrates the [...] L'article Central Asia methodically erases the traces of the Soviet era from its urb…