A bust of Pushkin, no longer a monument, is demolished in Odesa region

Specialists of the municipal enterprise "Miskvodokanal" dismantled the monument to Pushkin in the city park of Bolhrad, Odesa region.

Now only the remaining pedestal reminds of the bust, from which the plaque with the name of the Russian poet was removed, the Mahala publication reports from the scene.

The future fate of the monument is unknown. For now, it will remain on the territory of the museum. Other monuments of the Soviet period are also located here.

Prior to this, the Bolhrad City Council received a decision from the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications, according to which the monument is not included in the list of those listed in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine. The monument was to be dismantled within 15 days.

In early July, the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine considered the appeal of activists of the NGO Decolonization.Ukraine regarding the dismantling of the Pushkin monuments located in Bolhrad and Tatarbunary in Odesa region and reported that they were preparing a draft order to remove the Pushkin monument located in Bolhrad from the Register of Cultural Heritage Sites of Odesa Region.

In Odesa, UNESCO was involved to determine whether the Pushkin monument on Dumska Square could be dismantled. In its response, UNESCO confirms that, in accordance with international regulations, the organization is "committed to promoting dialogue and participation of all stakeholders as an essential means of decision-making in the field of culture" and promises to enter into a dialogue with the relevant authorities in Ukraine on this issue.

115 representatives of culture, art, and science in Odesa asked to postpone the decision on the demolition of Odesa's monuments until the end of the full-scale war. Some citizens even organized a rally on Shevchenko Avenue.

In May, the demolition of the memorial plaque in Peresypsky district escalated into a two-day confrontation. Activists tried to remove the memorial plaque to the heroes of the USSR NKVD border guards in Odesa on the street of the same name. This attempt was thwarted by an aggressive local resident, whom the activists stopped with a gas canister.

Кирило Бойко