Conflict erupts in Odesa over war graves

In Odesa, a scandal erupted over the topic of honoring fallen soldiers, with a public statement about manipulations and distortions of words made by one of the panelists. She accused the local authorities and the media of inciting conflict between the families of the fallen and promoting the interests of funeral monopolies.

Olha Kvasnytska, a member of the Odesa City Council, said that she had become the target of a targeted campaign of harassment after media publications with a distorted interpretation of her words appeared.

According to her, the media materials attributed to her statements about the alleged "scoop" or "Russian necropolis" regarding the graves of Ukrainian soldiers. At the same time, the MP emphasized that she did not insult the families of the victims and stands exclusively for a decent and modern honoring of memory.

Kvasnytska explained that her criticism was not about the burials themselves, but about the approaches to memorialization that, in her opinion, are being imposed by officials and representatives of the funeral business. In particular, she referred to the use of dark granite as a "non-alternative" material associated with the Soviet tradition and not in line with the modern Ukrainian vision.

The city authorities and the director of the relevant department, Yermakov, were also criticized. They are accused of lacking a clear concept of the memorial space, inaction, and allegedly exacerbating the conflict between the families of the victims.

The deputy also spoke out sharply about the format of the public discussion, calling it manipulative and not meeting the standards of open dialogue.

She emphasized that she is in favor of holding an open tender and using light materials for the future memorial, including alternatives such as terrazzo. In her position, the deputy refers to the recommendations of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance on the formation of a modern culture of honoring the dead.

In her opinion, the city itself should take responsibility for creating the Pantheon of Heroes without shifting the financial and organizational burden to the families of the victims. She emphasized that the future memorial should become a symbol of light, dignity and Ukrainian national tradition.

In early April, the deputy also claimed that the General Plan had been manipulated and that the system of protection of historical monuments had actually failed. It turned out that the problem was not in the documents, but in corruption, sabotage, and the lack of professional city management.

Анна Бальчінос