Three options for a new coat of arms for Mykolaiv region were presented in Tabunschyk: «We must move away from outdated imperial images»

The Mykolaiv Regional Council presented three versions of the new coat of arms for the Mykolaiv region and announced the start of public discussion.

Sketches and descriptions of the coat of arms options were published on the Mykolaiv Regional Council website, according to NikVesti.

The head of the regional council, Anton Tabunschyk, said that the region should «move away from outdated imperial images» and create symbols that reflect the region's rich history and the events of the war.

«Our goal is to update the region's symbols so that they correspond to the present day and reflect Ukrainian values and the history of the region. We must move away from outdated imperial images and create modern symbols that will unite people and emphasise our uniqueness,» said Anton Tabunschyk in 2025 during a meeting of the working group on updating the local symbols of Mykolaiv region.

The head of the council on heraldry, first deputy head of the regional council Denys Andrieiev, for his part, emphasised at the time that the renewal of local symbols complies with the requirements of current legislation, which provides for the decolonisation of historical narratives and visual images associated with imperial politics.

«Let us recall that the current coat of arms of the Mykolaiv region was approved in 2001. However, some of its elements date back to the Russian Empire, in particular, the archbishop's mitre and golden staffs used in the coats of arms of church and administrative structures. There is now a need to approve symbols that better reflect the Ukrainian identity, historical heritage and modernity of the region,» the regional council's website states.

The first option — Saint Nicholas, the Cossack cross and waves

The first design features an image of Saint Nicholas on a blue shield. The saint is blessing with his right hand and holding the Gospel in his left hand. The image is based on the monument in Kashtanovyi Square in Mykolaiv (sculptor Ihor Bulavytskyi).

To the left of the figure is a Cossack cross as a reminder of the history of the Zaporizhzhia Cossacks, and to the right is an eight-pointed star. At the bottom is a silver field with two blue waves symbolising the Southern Bug and Inhul rivers and the region's access to the Black Sea.

The shield is decorated with a golden cartouche with a wreath of wheat ears, sunflowers and oak leaves. There is also an anchor — as a symbol of shipbuilding and ports, grape clusters — as a sign of winemaking, and sea lighthouses. The elements are executed in the style of Taurian painting, which in 2025 received a protective number in the National List of Elements of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Ukraine.

The second version — ancient heritage and Olbia

The second version was developed by a project group of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration with the participation of servicemen of the 30th Marine Corps of the Ukrainian Navy and the 3rd Army Corps of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as authors of modern military symbols.

The concept appeals to the ancient heritage of the region and the coat of arms of the Olvia polis. The golden shield on an azure background depicts Scythian symbols of power — an axe-sceptre, a bow and a combat belt with a cup. At the bottom is a silver field with two waves as symbols of the region's main rivers.

The authors emphasise the historical continuity from ancient Scythia to the modern heroic resistance. The description also mentions the victory of the Scythian-Hellenic alliance over the armies of Zopyrion in 331 BC, which, according to the concept, echoes the events of 2022, when Mykolaiv became the «shield of the South».

The third option is an amphora, an anchor and a deer

The third option combines ancient, Cossack and modern military symbols. The blue field depicts a golden ancient amphora, a crossed Cossack spear and a silver sea anchor.

In the centre is a red shield with a silver deer, which echoes the emblem of the Buho-Hardivska Palanka of the Zaporizhzhia Army (1734–1775). A similar symbol is used on the chevron of the 123rd Separate Brigade of Territorial Defence of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which has been participating in the defence of Mykolaiv and the region since 2022.

In heraldry, the deer symbolises courage, rebirth and the memory of ancestors. The blue colour of the shield signifies wisdom and spirituality, while red signifies courage and nobility.

Comments and suggestions will be accepted until 17 March 2026 at the following email address: gerb.mkobl@gmail.com.

After the public discussion is complete, the regional council will decide on the final version of the updated symbols and submit it to the deputies for approval.

We note that the head of the heraldry commission, first deputy chairman of the regional council Denys Andrieiev, was recently involved in an incident while hunting in the Voznesensk district of the Mykolaiv region. According to reports on Telegram channels, as a result of careless handling of weapons, the deputy chairman of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, Denys Andrieiev, was wounded. The next day, 21 December, he celebrated his birthday.

The police checked the information about the alleged gunshot wound but found no evidence to support it. A few days before the incident, the regional council granted four companies permission to use hunting grounds in the Voznesensk district for a period of 25 years.

According to Denis Andreyev, on 20 December 2025, he injured his thigh after falling on a dam near a pond, his friends provided first aid, and the next day he was discharged from the hospital.

Will Mykolaiv change its coat of arms and move its City Day celebrations?

In September 2024, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych proposed changing the appearance of Mykolaiv's coat of arms.

The mayor explained that the galley with oars depicted on the coat of arms is a symbol of slave ideology, which must be changed during Ukraine's struggle for freedom: «The thing is, it depicts a galley with oars. Without sails. I think you all understand what such a galley means, who worked on it to death. We are not slave rowers, we are not slaves. We absolutely do not need such symbols in the identity of our city!»

To replace the coat of arms, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych announced a competition with a prize fund of 200,000 hryvnias for the best proposed sketch.

In addition, the head of Mykolaiv proposes to change the date of the City Day celebration. Usually, this holiday is celebrated on the second Saturday of September, but now there is a discussion about celebrating it on 22 May — St. Nicholas Day.