Opening of a columbarium in Mykolaiv: the deceased are cremated in Odesa

A columbarium in Mykolaiv. Photo: Mykolaiv City Council

Following the opening of the columbarium at the Central Cemetery, where urns containing the ashes of the deceased can be placed, residents of Mykolaiv have raised questions regarding cremation. As there are only three crematoria in Ukraine, the deceased are transported from Mykolaiv to Odesa.

Serhii Vaselega, director of the municipal enterprise «Mykolaiv Funeral Service», spoke about this in a comment to NikVesti.

The Mykolaiv City Council reported that the funeral service provides a full range of funeral services, including cremation, delivery of the urn, its placement in the columbarium or burial. As Serhii Vaseleha clarified to NikVesti, the municipal enterprise cooperates with a crematorium in Odesa, where they find time for cremations at Mykolaiv’s request.

«We’re talking about Odessa. We have a partnership with the crematorium in Odessa, and we take the body there, then bring the urn back to Mykolaiv. If the family wishes to have the body cremated, we have a coordinator who processes the request. She calls them to find out when they have availability and space. And we send a vehicle there,» explained the head of the funeral service.

He pointed out that there are only three crematoria in Ukraine — in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odesa. Southern Ukraine uses the services of the one in Odesa. Serhii Vaseleha noted that opening a crematorium in Mykolaiv requires significant funding and a great deal of regulatory paperwork.

«The city council has plans for a Mykolaiv crematorium, but it’s a massive undertaking, with huge budgets and a lot of permits to obtain. The ideas are there, the understanding is there, the desire is there, but… That’s why we’re working closely with Odesa; they listen to us and find time and space for us,» said Serhii Vaseleha.

He explained that more and more people are now enquiring about cremation.

«It’s more convenient. Under the law, you don’t have to bury the urn; you can keep it at home. You can have several if there are relatives. If someone has gone abroad, you can send it to them,» added the head of the funeral service.

Serhii Vaseleha also explained that an urn containing ashes can be placed in a columbarium or buried in a new plot in a standard section of the cemetery. Alternatively, it can be interred alongside relatives’ graves.

«If there is someone to bury them with, there are no restrictions on the urn, as it takes up very little space. It is buried in an existing grave of a relative, provided the relevant documents are available,» noted Serhii Vaseleha.

As a reminder, construction of a columbarium on the grounds of the Central City Cemetery in Mykolaiv has been completed. It has been officially commissioned. It features 156 niches for urns. It is noted that the project cost 2.7 million hryvnias.

Back in 2021, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Vitalii Kim, expressed the view that a crematorium should be built on the border with the Kherson region.