Stalin statue blown up in Ukraine

Nationalists have blown up a bust of Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in the city of Zaporizhia, in south-eastern Ukraine.

The statue, which is located outside the offices of the Ukrainian Communist Party was blown up at around 10.40pm on New Years Eve. A group of people scaled the fence and fastened a shopping bag to the pillar. There were no injuries in the attack which also caused damage to the party's offices. The device, believed to be home-made, was packed with shrapnel. A spokesperson for the Communist Party told reporters that this was an act of terrorism. The bust of the statue was completely destroyed and only the plinth remained.

This is the second attack on the statue, which was unveiled in May, in two weeks. A similar bomb attack last week by the "Trident" paramilitary group caused only minor damage. In a statement claiming responsibility for the bombing, Trident said that Stalin was "the executioner of the Ukranian people and an international terrorist".

The leader of the Ukranian Freedom Party in the city along with his deputy on youth issues have been arrested over the incident.

Stalin is a hate figure among many Ukranians who blame him for intentionally allowing millions to perish in the 1930's famine known as Holodomor.