Authorities in Moscow on Wednesday renamed the capital citys Square of Europe as theSquare of Eurasia amid Russias worsening relations with the West over the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.The Square of Europe, located in front of the bustling Kievsky Railway Station, was unveiled in 2002 as part of a joint Russian-Belgian project symbolizing European unity.Mayor Sergei Sobyanins decision to rename the square comes after the flags of 48 European countries wereremoved from the public space in March 2023, 13 months after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops into neighboring Ukraine.A decree published on the Moscow Mayors Office website does not explain the reason for the name change.However, state-affiliated media reported thatthe decision reflects Moscows intention to give the square a new name that reflects a broader geographical concept of Eurasia.The independent investigative news outlet IStoriescalled it the first example of the de-Europeanization of place names, though it was not immediately clear if authorities in the Russian capital had recently undertaken any similar name changes of public spaces.
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