Odesa Executive Committee Launches Mechanisms to Protect Monument on French Boulevard

Following a high-profile discussion of the destruction of monuments on Frantsuzsky Boulevard, the Executive Committee of Odesa City Council has taken urgent decisions to preserve them. In particular, the decision provides for urgent execution of documentation, entering the objects into the state register and strengthening control over the owner.

The decision was made at a meeting of the executive committee of the Odesa City Council.

The scandal over the destruction and inadequate protection of cultural heritage sites on French Boulevard in Odesa is gaining momentum, exposing systemic failures in the protection of historical monuments and control over their use after privatization.

At least two buildings - a former brewery and the Warehouses of the Provincial Office - are formally recognized as monuments, but in fact have been left without proper legal and physical protection.

The warehouse building, built in 1895 by architect Lev Vlodyk, is privately owned by Kablor-7 LLC, which received it as part of an integral property complex during privatization. Despite being placed under state protection back in 1991, the site still does not have even a basic protection agreement that would define the owner's responsibilities for preserving the monument. Moreover, the relevant orders of the regional department of culture, including the repeated document of May 2025, have not been fulfilled, and lawsuits demanding a contract have not been filed.

The situation was further complicated by military events: both monuments were damaged in a drone attack in July 2025. The commission that conducted the survey recorded the destruction and ordered the owner to develop appropriate project documentation for restoration. However, as noted during the discussion at the executive committee, this order was ignored as well.

Against this background, the facts recorded after the shelling look even more resonant: according to the inspections, actions were taken that have signs of deliberate destruction of the cultural heritage site.

A separate wave of indignation during the meeting was caused by how these objects ended up in private ownership. The members of the executive committee noted that during the privatization, the state body did not actually ensure proper coordination with the cultural heritage protection authorities. Moreover, only one of the two monuments was mentioned in the sale and purchase agreement, while the other, older one, was not mentioned at all. According to officials, this indicates systemic violations and a formal approach to the preservation of historical sites.

The situation with the state registration of monuments, which was also the subject of a separate discussion at the executive committee, is equally revealing. Despite the fact that the two buildings were placed under protection in 1985 and 1991, respectively, they have not yet been listed in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine. The reason for this is the lack of full-fledged accounting documentation, which should contain the key characteristics of the object, its historical value, and modern parameters. In fact, this creates a legal "gray area" that can be used by unscrupulous owners.

Following the meeting of the Executive Committee, the need for urgent action was voiced. In particular, it was said that the city budget should be used to produce accounting documents, initiate the inclusion of objects in the state register and strengthen control over their use.

At the same time, the discussion at the executive committee demonstrated a much broader problem: the lack of a complete inventory of the city' s cultural heritage. The participants explicitly stated that over the years of independence, no comprehensive list of monuments has been formed, which opens the way to abuse and even destruction of historic buildings. There were also emotional assessments, in particular that such situations are made possible by inaction and the lack of a systemic policy in the field of heritage protection.

Recently, an electronic petition was registered in Odesa demanding the protection of the architectural monument at 10 Frantsuzsky Boulevard and making decisions in the field of cultural heritage more transparent. The initiator of the petition claims that the historic building is at risk of destruction and calls on the city authorities to intervene immediately.

Анна Бальчінос