KIEV, Ukraine (AP) — Anti-government protesters have toppled the statue of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin in central Kiev amid huge protests gripping Ukraine.

A group of protesters dragged down and decapitated the landmark statue Sunday evening after hundreds of thousands of others took to the streets to denounce the government's move away from Europe and toward Moscow.

Protesters took turns beating on the torso of the fallen statue, while others chanted "Glory to Ukraine!"

The chaotic protest further raised tensions in the Ukrainian capital.