The Housing and Utilities Department removed the bronze «cube» commemorating the founding of Mykolaiv following a report from a member of the public to the «hotline»

A commemorative plaque marking the founding of the city of Mykolaiv was erected in 1976. Photo: NikVesti

A commemorative plaque marking the founding of the city of Mykolaiv, located on Flotskyi Boulevard near the chess club in Mykolaiv, has been removed. This followed a complaint made to the government’s hotline.

The memorial was dismantled on Thursday, 30 April, according to NikVesti.

The work was carried out by the city council’s municipal enterprise Mykolaiv Parks. It is known that the memorial does not have the status of a cultural heritage site and is not under any relevant protection.

Mykolaiv Parks dismantled the structure on 30 April. Photo: PN

Mykolaiv Parks dismantled the monument on 30 April. Photo: PN

A request for the monument’s removal had previously been submitted to the government contact centre by Vadym Pozdnakov, co-founder of the «Decolonisation.Ukraine» project.

A sign commemorating the city’s founding was removed near the Mykolaiv Chess Club. Photo: NikVesti

A sign commemorating the city’s founding was removed near the Mykolaiv Chess Club. Photo: NikVesti

According to «Suspilne Mykolaiv», on 23 May 2025, the deputy head of Mykolaiv’s Housing and Communal Services Department, Ihor Nabatov, responded to his request, noting that the structure would be dismantled by the end of the year. However, this actually only took place at the end of April.

The request for the sign to be removed came from activist Vadym Pozdnyakov. Document: Suspilne Mykolaiv

The monument marking the founding of Mykolaiv was erected in 1976 following the reconstruction of Flotsky Boulevard. It was designed in the shape of a cube, with bas-reliefs on three sides depicting the frigate «Saint Nicholas», the battleship «Potemkin» and the research vessel «Academician Sergei Korolev», all of which were built at Mykolaiv’s shipyards. On the fourth side, an inscription detailing the founding of Mykolaiv is carved:

«Here, at the confluence of the Inhul and Southern Bug rivers, the city of Mykolaiv was founded in 1789 — the centre of shipbuilding in the south of the country. From 1792 to 1856, and then from 1871 to 1900, the city was home to the Commander-in-Chief of the Black Sea Fleet and Ports, the Fleet Headquarters, naval educational institutions and naval services. Prominent Russian navigators and naval commanders such as F. F. Ushakov, P. S. Nakhimov, M. P. Lazarev, V. A. Kornilov, V. I. Istomin, F. F. Bellingshausen, G. I. Butakov and A. I. Kavarskyi served in Mykolaiv. The city was the birthplace of the renowned Russian scientist and naval commander S. O. Makarov. Many ships built by Mykolaiv craftsmen took part in the Russian Navy’s victorious battles and wrote glorious pages in the history of our Motherland. The legendary battleship «Potemkin», built in Mykolaiv, became an unconquered bastion of the 1905 Revolution. Warships built at the Mykolaiv shipyards took part in battles against the interventionists and White Guards, and saw active combat during the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945. The cruiser «Red Caucasus», built by Mykolaiv shipbuilders, became the first Guards ship of the Soviet Navy. Building on their labour, revolutionary and military traditions, the workers of Mykolaiv are achieving new successes in the development of industry, science and culture, and are building modern vessels. The whaling bases «Soviet Russia» and «Soviet Ukraine», ore carriers, dry cargo ships, refrigerated vessels, fishing and research vessels, launched from the Mykolaiv shipyards, proudly fly the Soviet flag across all the seas and oceans of the globe».

Text on the bronze bas-relief on one side of the monument. Photo: NikVesti

The monument’s creator, the renowned Mykolaiv sculptor Oleksii Baiborodin, recounted that the text was crafted by several artists working together. In October 2025, the artist and long-time teacher at the Mykolaiv Children’s Art School passed away.

As a reminder, in June 2025, in the centre of Mykolaiv, the municipal enterprise «Mykolaiv Parks» dismantled the cannon that stood on Flotskyi Boulevard along the Embankment. Later, Mykolaiv’s chief architect, Yevhen Poliakov, stated that the city might agree to hand it over to the regional museum at the request of the regional military administration.