Deputies of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine supported the renaming of two cities: Yuzhno-Ukrainian in the Mykolaiv Oblast will now be called Yuzhno-Ukrainian, and the city of Yuzhne in the Odesa Oblast became Yuzhno-Ukrainian. However, attempts to rename three more cities — Pavlograd, Synelnikove, and Pervomaisk — did not gain sufficient support. About this reported people’s deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko.
Initially, it was proposed to call Yuzhno-Ukrainian “Gard”, and Yuzhne – “Port-Annental”, but as a result, other names were approved. Pavlograd, Synelnikove and Pervomaisk will remain with their old names for the time being.
Earlier, Verkhovna Rada Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk announced the introduction of a new resolution on renaming 333 settlements as part of decolonization and de-Russification. This became relevant after the emergence of discussions regarding the renaming of several cities, such as Synelnikove, Pervomaisk and Pavlograd. It was proposed to rename them to Rydnopillya, Sokologhirsk and Matviiv, respectively.
The process of decolonization and de-Russification intensified after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Sociological polls show that 59% of Ukrainians support the renaming of toponyms associated with Russia, the USSR or the Russian Empire. During 2022, 9,859 toponyms were renamed and 145 monuments that promoted imperial policy were dismantled in Ukraine.
In April 2023, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, signed a law that prohibits giving geographical objects names related to Russia. The purpose of the law is to clear the public space from those imposed by ideologues and to restore Ukrainian historical and national toponymy.
