Since the beginning of the year, Odesa City Hall has been offered four versions of the replacement for the Pushkin monument

Four petitions with options for replacing the monument to the poet Alexander Pushkin, located in front of the Odesa municipal building on Exchange Square, have been registered on the Socially Active Citizen platform since the beginning of the year.

The first one was registered on January 8. Its author , Timur Vendin , suggested replacing the bust with a similar one dedicated to another President of the United States, Donald Trump.

"Donald Trump is one of the most prominent figures in world politics of the 21st century, who has had a significant impact on international relations and the global agenda. The installation of his bust can be seen as a contemporary artistic statement and a reason for public discussion. At the same time, it is proposed not to destroy the cultural heritage, but to transfer the bust of Alexander Pushkin to a museum or specialized cultural space in order to preserve it in the appropriate historical context," the author is sure.

Signatures for this petition are being collected until April 1, and as of March 15, 38 people have signed it.

The second petition was filed by activist Serhiy Gnezdilov. He suggested replacing the bust with a monument to film director Anton Ptushkin. He proposes to immortalize him for his outstanding achievements in the field of cinematography and the wonderful documentary Antarctica, as well as for the development of tourism in Odesa region. This petition collected 50 signatures from January 19 to March 15.

On February 12, two petitions concerning the Pushkin monument were registered on the platform two minutes apart. One proposes to exchange it and the sculptures of the monument to the Founders of Odesa for Ukrainian citizens who were captured or illegally imprisoned during the Russian aggression. The author, Viktor Kysil, believes that if the petition is approved by the relevant state authorities, Ukraine can offer the aggressor country a plan to implement the exchange of sculptures of monuments of the imperial and Soviet past that have been dismantled in Ukrainian settlements and state-owned institutions for captured Ukrainian citizens in the "all for all" format. The proposal received one signature.

The second petition proposes to erect a monument to Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny on this site. The inscription on the pedestal is proposed as follows: "Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachny (1577-1622), Hetman of the Zaporizhzhia Army, legendary naval commander. The sea is our power, and freedom is our shield."

Arguments:

• National identity: The monument to Pushkin is a symbol of Russian literature and imperial culture, which does not correspond to the current priorities of Odesa's development as a Ukrainian city.
• Odesa's maritime tradition: Sahaidachnyi was a legendary navigator who led the Zaporizhzhia fleet and conducted naval campaigns in the Black and Mediterranean Seas, which is organically combined with the maritime history of Odesa.
• Historical significance: Petro Konashevych-Sahaidachnyi was a hetman who stood in defense of Ukraine and symbolizes courage, freedom and patriotism.
• Cultural development: The new monument will become a landmark for residents and visitors of the city, strengthening national identity and popularizing the history of the Ukrainian Cossacks.

The monument should become part of the historical and cultural ensemble of Prymorskyi Boulevard and fit into its architectural composition, but so far only four citizens have supported the proposal.

Кирило Бойко