There is no evidence of an anti-Ukrainian position: Falieievska Street in Mykolaiv will not be renamed

Yurii Liubarov, head of the culture department of the Mykolaiv City Council, photo: NikVesti

The head of the culture department of the Mykolaiv city council, who is also a member of the toponymy commission, Yurii Liubarov, said that Falieievska Street, which bears the name of the city's first citizen, does not fall under the renaming law.

He said this during a briefing on Friday, January 12, answering a question from NikVesti.

It should be noted that during the meetings of the renaming commission, the further fate of Falieievska Street was repeatedly discussed. In particular, the head of the commission Oleksandr Tryhub expressed the opinion that it is necessary to keep the street's historical name.

This opinion is shared in the Department of Culture, because there is no evidence that Mykhailo Falieiev supported the anti-Ukrainian policy of the Russian Empire. That is why his figure does not fall under the law on mandatory renaming.

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«I am an ordinary member of the commission and an official. If I were just a man, I could say whatever I wanted. Today, I agree with the chairman of the commission on this issue. The commission's first task is to fulfill the requirements of the law. The law clearly states which surnames must be removed from the streets. And if this surname does not directly fall under the law today, this street name should be left. This is my point of view as an official. If anyone has any evidence or historical information that Falieiev was a figure in the imperial army, or had anti-Ukrainian narratives, then we will consider the issue of renaming. Today, we do not have such information,» said Yurii Liubarov.

So far, the commission has considered about 200 street names. According to the head of the department, we are talking not only about those names that fall under the decolonization law, but also about those with spelling errors. In the future, this list will be submitted for public discussion, after which the decision will be submitted for consideration by the Mykolaiv session.

What about the monument to Falieiev in Mykolaiv?

At the end of October 2022, the sculpture of the first citizen Mykhailo Falieiev, which was located on the Embankment near the city council building, was dismantled.

The Mykolayiv Oblast State Police Service explained that this was done in order to save the monument from shelling by the Russian invaders.

Law on decolonization in Mykolaiv

In April 2023, the Mykolaiv City Council adopted a new regulation on renaming toponyms in order to get rid of all Russian names in the city.

Also, the deputy commission on legality approved a new version of the regulation on the activities of the commission on toponymy, which was engaged in street renaming.

In particular, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych reported that there was a commission on toponymy in the city, which was engaged in street renaming, but as of today, its composition needs to be updated.

However, in August it became known that the toponymic commission has not yet started working. Due to the withdrawal of one of the candidates, the deputies of the city council had to update the composition of the commission.

At the session on September 7, deputies of the Mykolaiv City Council approved the new composition of the toponymic commission. Major General Dmytro Marchenko was included in it, but with the note «by agreement».

The very name of Dmytro Marchenko became one of those in honor of which the people of Mykolaiv propose to rename the streets of the city. The offer was submitted by 32 respondents. However, the general himself opposed such an idea.

In October, the toponymic commission published the first proposals for street renaming as part of the decolonization process.

In particular, the commission suggested renaming 40 streets after those who died in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

Will the coat of arms be changed in Mykolaiv and the celebration of City Day postponed?

In September, the mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych proposed to change the appearance of Mykolaiv's coat of arms.

The mayor then explained that the galleys with oars depicted on the coat of arms are a symbol of slave ideology, which must be changed during Ukraine's struggle for freedom.

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

In addition, the leader of Mykolaiv proposes to postpone the date of the City Day celebration. Usually, this holiday is celebrated on the second Saturday of September, but now the idea of celebrating it on May 22, on the Day of Summer Saint Nicholas, is being discussed.

This decision can also, according to the authorities, become a symbol of the deprivation of «imperialism», because Mykolaiv was founded by decree of the Russian empress Catherine II.