Lenin statue toppled in Ukraine protest

Protesters in Kiev knocked down a statue of Vladimir Lenin on Sunday as outrage mounted over the government's suspension of talks with the European Union.

A crowd of cheering protesters chanted "Good job" after the statue fell.

Pieces of the statue were on the ground. Only parts of the Soviet hero's legs remained at the base. A man waving a Ukrainian flag stood atop the pedestal beside them.

Numerous statues of Lenin, one of the leaders of the 1917 Russian Revolution, have been removed from Kiev in previous years.

The toppling of the statue on Sunday came as 100,000 protesters took to the streets of Kiev, according to police estimates, piling more pressure on Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovich after he turned away from integration with Europe.

Kiev suspended talks with the European Union last month, angering many Ukrainians who say an EU agreement would have opened borders to trade and set the stage for modernization and inclusion.

The subsequent protests that have rattled the eastern European country are the biggest in Ukraine since the so-called Orange Revolution nine years ago, a populist movement that toppled the government.