Dismantling of Pushkin monument in Odesa stopped for formal reasons

The dismantling of the monument to Alexander Pushkin has been temporarily suspended in Odesa. According to the official version of the mayor's office, the reason for the suspension is the location of the monument within the UNESCO World Heritage Site - the historic center of Odesa, which is also included in the list of World Heritage in Danger.

This was reported by the NGO Decolonization.Ukraine.

The organization received a response to its letter to the acting mayor of Odesa , Ihor Koval, regarding the dismantling of the Pushkin monument. Ivan Liptuga, Director of the Department of International Cooperation, Culture and Marketing of the Odesa City Council, noted that any changes to the boundaries or buffer zone of the site must be coordinated with the World Heritage Committee. Because of this, the city has temporarily installed a fence around the monument to reduce its impact on public space.

Given the above, the visual impact of the monument on public space has been eliminated by installing a temporary fence until all procedural issues are resolved and settled in accordance with the procedure established by law," said Ivan Liptuga, director of the department, in the document.

However, Decolonization Ukraine emphasizes that the monuments to be dismantled in accordance with Law No. 3005-IX "On Decolonization" are not protected by UNESCO. The Pushkin monument has not been a cultural heritage monument since 2023, and its presence within the historic center does not automatically grant it protection.

SCREENSHOT: Department's response

According to the law, the dismantling of a monument, benches, urns or other landscaping objects does not require the approval of the Ministry of Culture or UNESCO. All that is needed is the political will of the city authorities, a few employees of the utility company, and technical means.

The NGO Decolonization Ukraine criticized the local authorities for more than a year of imitation work. According to them, former mayor Hennadiy Trukhanov, department director Ivan Liptuga and subordinates have not been fulfilling Oleh Kiper 's order to dismantle the monuments, constantly referring to preparation, conclusion of contracts, development of technical documentation or "settlement of procedural issues," although in practice this has not led to any changes.

The monument to Pushkin on Exchange Square was fenced with boards in late October. Later, the press service of the Odesa City Council confirmed to Intent that, according to an order from the head of the Odesa Regional Administration, Oleh Kiper, the monument was temporarily removed from public view.

Анна Бальчінос