Kyrgyzstan has taken down a huge statue of the revolutionary Soviet leader Vladimir Lenin, which was thought to be the tallest in Central Asia, BBC reported.

First erected when Kyrgyzstan was part of the Soviet Union, the 23 m-tall monument towered over the city of Osh for 50 years before it was quietly removed this week.

Photos emerged on Saturday showing the communist revolutionary, who features prominently in Soviet iconography, lying on his back on the ground, having been lowered by crane.

Many former Soviet republics have recently sought to recast their national identities with less emphasis on their previous ties to Russia, though local officials downplayed the decision to move the statue.