Odesa mayor voices opposition to street renaming campaign

Source: Genadiy Trukhanov/Telegram

Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov is not excited about the plan of the regional goverment to rename streets in the city.

Late July saw local publication “Dumskaya” revealed a list of  85 streets, alleys, boulevards, squares, avenues, and slopes set for a name change. The controversial plan that got a go-ahead from the regional governor Oleh Kiper has sparked a citywide debate.

On Thursday, Trukhanov recorded a 8-minute video distancing Odesa officials  in the renaming campaign. He specifically opposed the renaming of Pushkinskaya, Bunina, Vira Inber, Zhukovskogo, Babelya, Ilf and Petrov, and Zhvanetsky Boulevard.

“According to the logic of the ‘decolonizers,’ we should abandon everything that has made Odesa a global brand. Simply put, this ‘nullifies’ our city,” Trukhanov lamented.

He argued that stripping monuments and renaming central streets would ruin UNESCO-protected cultural heritage sites.

In a savvy move, Trukhanov and some local Telegram channels launched a poll that saw a clear split on the new policy –  95,278 people voted against the renaming and 93,641 in favor. The city mayor argued its results were swayed by voters from others Ukrainian cities.

“We appreciate your concern for our city, but I emphasize: the fate of Odesa should be decided by true Odesa residents,” he stated.

The mayor words got an emotional response from the regional governor. Oleh Kiper said,  “Odesa is and remains a Ukrainian city, created, built, and developed by Ukrainians. In the current realities, there is no place in a Ukrainian city for streets named after people who received medals from Putin or collaborated with the KGB or praised the Soviet Union and empire. If someone wants to stroll along streets with imperial/Soviet names, there is Moscow and Ufa, but not Ukrainian Odesa. This will not happen in Odesa.”

Activist Serhiy Sternenko chimed in, accusing Trukhanov of pushing an “anti-Ukrainian agenda” and reminding everyone of the corruption charges against the mayor, who holds a Russian passport yet faces no consequences.