The historian told about Mykolaiv in the context of 33 years of Ukraine's independence: «A real Ukrainian city»

Mykolaiv historian, professor of the Black Sea National University named after Petro Mohyla Yurii Kotliar spoke about the history of Mykolaiv in the context of the 33rd anniversary of freedom on the occasion of the Independence Day of Ukraine.

The video was published on University's YouTube page.

Yurii Kotliar told the history of the city from the time of the Referendum in 1991 to the present day.

«Mykolaiv in the era of independence is a very big, complex and important problem. Let's dwell on episodes that characterize the attitude of Mykolaiv residents to the period of Ukrainian statehood and debunk certain Russian myths about Mykolaiv being a Russian city,» he said.

According to him, in 1991, during the Referendum for Ukraine's independence, a record number of people gathered in Mykolaiv. In general, more than 89% of Mykolaiv residents supported the idea of independence. The historian also mentioned the period of the Revolution of Dignity of 1013-1014.

«February 2014: the symbol of the former era — the monument to Lenin in Mykolaiv — is thrown down. More than 15,000 people gathered on Soborna Square,» Yurii Kotliar said.

The professor concluded his story with the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war. He noted that, taking into account all the mentioned events, Mykolaiv proved that it is a real Ukrainian city.

«This era for Mykolaiv was extremely complex, interesting, full of various events. Mykolaiv once again proved to everyone that Mykolaiv is a real Ukrainian city,» summarized the historian.

It will be recalled that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his address to the Independence Day of Ukraine emphasized that no one will dictate to Ukraine how to live and what path to choose, especially the «sick grandfather from Red Square.» The president promised that Russia will find out what Ukrainian retaliation is and sooner or later the Ukrainian response will arrive in every part of Russia.