The Ukraine parliament today voted to ban all the symbols and propaganda representing "the totalitarian Communist and Nazi regimes", including street names and flags, as well as monuments and plaques.
A total of 254 members of the 450-member parliament voted in favor of the legislation in the former Soviet republic torn by fighting between the pro-Russian separatists and a pro-Western government.
The legislation, which still needs to be signed into law by President Petro Poroshenko, needed a minimum of 226 votes in favor to pass.
It condemns the "totalitarian Communist and Nazi regimes in Ukraine" and bans "all public denial" of their "criminal character" as well as the "production", "circulation" or "public utilization" of their symbols, unless it be for educational or scientific purposes or found in a cemetery.
A list of banned items includes the Soviet flag and the hymn as well as monuments and historical plaques commemorating the Communist leaders.
Places, streets and even companies too are prohibited from using the names of Communist leaders or referring to their activities, including the 1917 Bolshevik revolution.
Penalties for violating the law range from five to 10 years.
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