A square illustrates Russia’s relationship with the West

Moscow’s Europe Square no longer exists.

The city’s mayor Sergey Sobyanin signed an order to rename the place Eurasia Plaza.

This small change speaks volumes about the direction Russia is heading: away from the West.

This is not the prettiest square in the Russian capital. It certainly doesn’t compare to Red Square, which features the stunning St. Basil’s Cathedral and the Kremlin’s onion dome.

Eurasia Square is built next to the bustling “Kiev Railway Station” and a hotel. It was once the location of the BBC Moscow office. There is a fountain and an unusual work by a Belgian sculptor entitled “The Kidnapping of Europe”.

I remember this square was built more than 20 years ago. It was built as a symbol of the continent’s unity. Dozens of flags of different European countries once flew here.

They were removed last year and now the name is gone too.

Goodbye Europe; hello Eurasia.

But what exactly is Eurasia?

Different countries have different concepts of Eurasia. President Putin officially calls Russia a Eurasian power. He used the term to mean that Russia was geographically located in Europe and Asia but civilized from these two regions.

The commemorative plaque in the Plaza de Europe still stands. It says:

“As a symbol of stronger friendship and solidarity among European countries, the Moscow government decided to create the European Square complex in the Russian capital.”

The reality is that Russia’s war in Ukraine and Western sanctions have put enormous pressure on relations between Moscow and Europe. Russian authorities are now constantly talking about the need to tilt eastward, setting their sights on China, North Korea and Asia as a whole.

Not only is Europe outdated, but it is also portrayed as an enemy by the Russian authorities.

This is not the first time that Moscow authorities have played politics with street names since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In June 2022, the street where the U.S. Embassy is located was renamed “Donetsk People’s Republic Square”, referring to Ukraine’s self-proclaimed breakaway region, which Russia later claimed to have annexed.

In a similar fashion, the following month the area around the British Embassy was transformed into “Luhansk People’s Republic Square”.

Back in the (former) European Plaza, how do passers-by view the changes in Eurasia?

“It was the right decision,” Olga told me. “We are not friends with Europe now. I don’t want to be in Europe.

“Eurasia is great,” Anna said. “Russia borders Europe and Asia. I was born in Kazakhstan, so this is no problem for me.

“Europe has different standards now,” Pasha told me. “They think in different ways. We grew apart.

But Yevgenia was disappointed. She believes the name change is “a sign of conflict between different countries.

“It’s so sad,” she added.

But at the end of the day, do names really matter?

After the Russian Revolution of 1917, many streets and squares in Russia were renamed to reflect the word “communism.” Did it help establish communism in the Soviet Union? not at all.

The decision to drop the word “Europe” from the square does not mean that Russia will not one day turn its sights to the West again.