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Ukraine president enacts controversial laws banning Soviet symbols

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko on Friday enacted laws banning Soviet symbols and communist-era propaganda, his office said, after the measures drew strong Russian criticism when they were approved by parliament last month.

The laws “prohibit Soviet symbols, condemn the communist regime, open the Soviet special services archives” and officially recognise the role of a nationalist group that fought for Ukraine’s independence in the mid-20th century.

Besides angering Russia, the measures also exacerbated tensions with pro-Moscow rebels in Ukraine’s east after parliament approved them.

The package of laws bans Soviet flags and means Soviet-era Lenin statues will have to be knocked down and town squares renamed across the country of 45 million people. The laws also ban Nazi propaganda in the ex-Soviet republic.

The nationalist group recognised by the laws leaned towards German Nazis for a time before fighting them as well as the Soviet Union. They are often decried in Russia as “fascist” hardline nationalists.

Since April 2014, Ukrainian forces have been battling pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in a bid to prevent the secession of the Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

The West and Kiev have accused the Kremlin of instigating the insurgency and supporting militants with weapons, funds and troops. Moscow has denied the claims.