The public decided to demolish a monument to Soviet physicist Kurchatov in Pivdennoukrainsk

Monument to Soviet physicist Ihor Kurchatov. Photo: Pivdennoukrainsk City Council

In Pivdennoukrainsk, residents supported the dismantling of the monument to Soviet physicist Igor Kurchatov. The decision was made following a public survey initiated by the executive committee of the Pivdennoukrainsk City Council.

The poll on the demolition of the memorial lasted from 16 December 2025 to 16 January 2026. According to the results of the poll, 62.8% of participants (59 people) were in favour of dismantling the monument, while 37.2% (35 people) were against it. A total of 94 respondents took part in the poll.

It should be noted that the bust of Ihor Kurchatov was installed in Pivdennoukrainsk in the second half of 1986. Ihor Kurchatov was a Soviet physicist, founder and first director of the Institute of Atomic Energy (1943–1960), known as one of the developers of the Soviet atomic bomb.

The city council notes that the next stage will be a new public survey on the installation of a memorial sign at the site of the dismantled bust. Residents will be offered several draft designs, which are currently tentative and may be changed during the discussion and subsequent approval process.

The options include: a memorial sign «Peaceful Atom», a memorial sign to Ukrainian nuclear energy specialist Volodymyr Fuks, or an option proposed by the city's residents.

Screenshot of a new public survey on the installation of a memorial sign on the site of the dismantled bust

Screenshot of a new public poll on the installation of a memorial sign in place of the dismantled bust

In 2025, people in Pivdennoukrainsk began talking about changes in the urban space. One of the steps was to discuss decisions on the dismantling or renovation of objects associated with the Soviet past, in accordance with the laws on decolonisation.

One such object was the monument to Ihor Kurchatov. Controversy arose around it: some consider him a famous scientist and founder of the Institute of Atomic Energy, while others associate him with the development of the Soviet atomic bomb and the military system of the USSR, which is now perceived as a symbol of the Soviet era.