Ulan Bator says goodbye, Lenin

The last bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin was dismantled in the capital, Ulan Bator (Getty Images)

The last bronze statue of Vladimir Lenin was dismantled in the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator, yesterday. The monument was hoisted off its plinth in a park and dropped on to a flat-bed lorry at a ceremony attended by the Mayor, Bat-Uul Erdene.

About 300 people gathered to watch, and a few threw old shoes at the statue to display their distaste for the former Soviet leader, who died in 1924.

At the height of the Cold War, Mongolia was effectively a satellite Soviet state. In a 10-minute speech, Mr Bat-Uul denounced Lenin and his fellow communists as "murderers", and said the statue would be auctioned off with a starting price of about $280 (£174).

For decades Lenin was worshipped by Mongolian children as "Teacher Lenin". In 1990, the country abandoned its one-party state system and embraced political reform.