Bulgaria dismantles a Soviet army monument that has dominated the Sofia skyline since 1954

SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) — Following years of heated debates, authorities in Bulgaria began to dismantle a monument of the Soviet army that has dominated the skyline of the capital city of Sofia, and has  been  considered widely a symbol of Russia’s lasting influence in the Balkan country. The monument was erected in 1954 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Soviet forces entering Bulgaria, which marked the beginning of 45 years of hardline Communist rule. Following the collapse of communism in 1989, the council in Sofia voted to remove the monument, but many successive governments shied away from this final step. On Wednesday, workers began to dismantle the figures from the top of the 45-meter-high installation – a Soviet soldier, holding an automatic gun in the air, a woman with her child and a worker.