Dombrovska spoke out against the closure of three nurseries in Mykolaiv
- News of Mykolaiv
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- Alina Kvitko
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10:22, 30 April, 2026
Tetiana Dombrovska has criticised plans to close down nurseries in Mykolaiv. Photo: NikVesti archiveTetiana Dombrovska, a member of Mykolaiv City Council, has criticised the city authorities’ plans to close three nurseries in Mykolaiv, which are due to be considered at the next city council meeting.
She wrote about this on her Facebook page ahead of the meeting.
According to her, the facilities in question are proposed for closure due to a lack of shelters, insufficient numbers of children and the poor condition of the buildings. One of them is located in the city centre — on Soborna Street, opposite McDonald’s.
«The reasons (for closing the nurseries, — note): there are no shelters, they are too small, they are neglected. One of these nurseries is in a prime location, right on Soborna Street, opposite McDonald’s. Oleksandr Sienkevych, your five-year term ended five months ago. Before that, you also served as mayor for another five years. I’m sorry, but is it possible to open at least something in our city over the course of 10 years before obsessively closing and selling everything?» wrote Tetiana Dombrovska.
The councillor noted that for a long time the city has shown no progress in developing pre-school infrastructure. She recalled the long-standing history of the nursery project in the Pivnichnyi neighbourhood, which has not been implemented despite repeated statements by the city authorities and its inclusion in various plans and programmes.
«In this photo is the only nursery that Mayor Sienkevych has been «working hard to build» for 10 years. You cannot see it because the new nursery in the Pivnichnyi district exists only in his imagination. And on paper, too. Very expensive paper, on which this nursery is drawn year after year, with millions spent on design work.
Are you pleased to be a mayor who has not only failed to open a single nursery in 10 years, but has also closed three? Vitalii Kim constantly urges people to return to Mykolaiv. He tries to encourage active residents and businesses to stay in the city. Why should they stay here if, instead of discussing the possibility of restoring these nurseries, you are discussing their closure?» she noted.
The councillor also drew attention to the fact that preparations have already begun to remove some of the facilities proposed for closure from the network, including the removal of external elements and signage, even though a final decision has not yet been made.
«And if we are now to be told that the liquidation of a legal entity is not for the purpose of sale, but for ‘conservation’ or ‘suspension of operations’, a simple question arises: how did these nurseries survive four years of war without being liquidated? Why was it possible not to reopen them, but to retain them as municipal property, and now suddenly liquidation is required for this very purpose? You’ve even taken down the signs from them, even though the city council hasn’t yet had time to consider your proposal to liquidate the nurseries. What’s the rush?» wrote Tetiana Dombrovska.
It is worth recalling that the last nursery in Mykolaiv was opened by Mayor Yurii Hranaturov in October 2014. Meanwhile, for two consecutive terms, the current mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, has been promising residents that he will build a nursery in the Pivnichnyi neighbourhood. However, the project still exists only on paper. Moreover, the new nursery was one of Mykolaiv Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych’s election pledges in 2020; construction work was announced for 2021, but this did not happen.
Why does Mykolaiv want to close three nurseries?
The Mykolaiv Department of Education has initiated a decision to close three nurseries: №104 (a nursery on Torhova Street in the Korabelnyi district), №128 (a nursery-kindergarten at the junction of Mariupolska and Pavlo Skoropadskyi Streets (formerly Admiral Makarov Street)) and №138 (a nursery-kindergarten on General Popel Street in Balabanivka). The official reason is the lack of and impossibility of installing shelters. This means that if the motion is passed at the session, there will no longer be such educational establishments in Mykolaiv, and their total number will decrease.
During the committee meeting, the chair of the education committee, Hanna Nord, stated that it is the institutions themselves that are being proposed for closure, whilst the buildings will remain the property of the city.
And following the closure of the three pre-school educational establishments, initiated by the Mykolaiv Education Department, the Municipal Property Management Department and the City Council will decide how to use them.
What do city councillors think about the closure?
Councillor Olena Kiseliova supported the rationale behind closing the preschools, stating that it is not cost-effective for the city to maintain them. She says that there is a broader issue behind the closure than the fact that they lack shelters and it is impossible to build them there. During the war, the institutions have been idle, but all this time it has been necessary to maintain the buildings and staff.
Councillor Artem Iliuk stated that he could support the legal closure of the three kindergartens, but said he would not support the subsequent privatisation of these buildings.
Tamila Buhaienko, former deputy mayor of Mykolaiv, also commented on the Education Department’s proposal to close the three nurseries. She believes this could lead to a shortage of places in pre-school facilities once the war ends.