The emphasis was on the colors of the memorial confrontation

Public discussions on the unified design of tombstones for the fallen and deceased defenders of Ukraine took place on April 3 at the Exchange Square in Odesa.

In the new issue of Accents, the authors tried to understand the color problem of the memorial and gave the floor to both sides to clarify the essence of the conflict without unnecessary accusations and try to find an answer to the main question - how to move from disputes to a common solution in such a sensitive topic.

The discussion was attended by 144 people. Some of those present noted that out of several options supported by families in a previous survey, only two were put to a vote. Additional tension was caused by the speech of MP Olha Kvasnytska, to which some families reacted emotionally. The MP herself 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.

Representatives of the families of the victims were divided into two camps: one preferred light colors for the tombstones, and the other dark colors, such as gray or black. Both camps stubbornly stand by their beliefs.

In August 2025, Intent. Insight with David Pishchev, a PhD in architecture and a practitioner in the field of memorial studies, discussed the creation of the Memorial to the Fallen Defenders of Ukraine. The memorial will include three existing burial plots around the runway, which will be combined into a single structure without reburial.

Кирило Бойко