Soviet and imperial monuments removed from the heritage list in Odesa region

In Odesa region, historical monuments have lost their protected status, paving the way for their possible dismantling. The decision concerns monuments associated with the Russian imperial and Soviet eras.

This is evidenced by the order of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine has decided not to include three objects located in the Bolhrad and Izmail districts of Odesa region in the State Register of Immovable Monuments.

The order refers to the following objects:

• The Red Guards' mass grave is the burial place of the Red Guards who died during the establishment of Soviet rule in Odesa in January 1918 and during the Civil War. A historical monument of 1918-1920, erected in 1960 on Kulykove Pole in Odesa.
• The monument to Zoya Kosmodemianska is amonument to Zoya Kosmodemianska, a partisan, scout, and Hero of the Soviet Union. The historical monument was erected in 1972 and is located on the territory of the children's sanatorium in Chornomorets, 1 Muskatna Street.
• Taranushchenko's grave is the burial place of Taranushchenko, a historical monument of 1919-1923, located in the center of Shamanivka village, Krasnosilska community, Bolhrad district.
• The Monument to the Review ofRussian Troops is a monument at the site where the review of Russian troops took place in honor of the crossing of the Danube during the Russo-Turkish wars (1828-1829, 1838). It is located on the southeastern outskirts of Bolhrad, near the Bolhrad-Odesa highway.
• The Danube Cross ing Monument is a monument dedicated to the crossing of the Danube by Russian troops during the Russo-Turkish Wars of 1828-1829 and 1838. It is located 1 km south of the southern outskirts of Bolhrad, on the Bolhrad-Ismail highway.
• The BustofSemen Tymoshenko is a bust of twice Hero of the Soviet Union, Marshal of the Soviet Union Semen Konstantinovich Tymoshenko. The monument of monumental art was created in 1967 and is located in the village of Furmanivka, Kilia community, near the house of culture.

The ministry noted that these monuments are directly related to Russian-imperial and Soviet history, so they are not subject to state protection as cultural heritage sites. After officially removing them from the register, local authorities will have legal grounds to dismantle these monuments.

At the same time, the dismantling of the monument to Alexander Pushkin was temporarily suspended in Odesa. The mayor's office explains that the monument is located within the historic center of the city, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is listed as endangered.

Анна Бальчінос