Central Asia still has a complex relationship with Russia

Statues commemorating the Soviet Union’s long-dead leaders, who once ruled an empire stretching from the Baltic Sea to the Pacific Ocean, have had their ups and downs. A Moscow metro station recently unveiled a frieze glorifying Josef Stalin, now once again feted in Russia as a great leader. Shortly afterwards a gigantic statue of Vladimir Lenin, the Soviet Union’s founding father, came toppling down in Kyrgyzstan, one of five former Soviet states in Central Asia. Yet it is still a staunch ally of the Kremlin.