TO GO WITH AFP STORY - BULGARIA-HISTORY-COMMUNISM-CULTURE
A picture taken in Sofia on June 17, 2011, shows the figures of Soviet soldiers at the base of the Soviet Army monument, painted by an unknown artist to resemble U.S. comic book heroes and characters from popular culture like Santa Claus and Ronald McDonald, the mascot of fast-food chain giant McDonald's. Over two decades after the toppling of the regime they glorified, the megalomaniac monuments of the communist era are still standing, setting a quandary for Bulgarian authorities, who can neither maintain nor dismantle them. The inscription below them reads: "Abreast With the Times" AFP PHOTO / NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY VESSELA SERGUEVA - BULGARIA-HISTORY-COMMUNISM-CULTURE (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV / AFP)