29 September 2026
(PHOTO: Decolonization. Ukraine)
In the town of Tatarbunary in the Odesa region, a damaged monument to the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin—which was slated for removal—has been restored.
This was reported by the organization “Decolonization. Ukraine.”
<span><span><span><span><span><span>“</span></span></span></span></span></span> It was damaged a year ago. It was then removed from the registry, but instead of dismantling it, the city council restored it. Who exactly are they protecting it for?” the organization wrote.
In February 2026, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture removed the Pushkin monument in Tatarbunary from the list of sites that are not subject to inclusion in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine. The list also excluded the historic site where, according to sources, the poet stayed and where the monument is located.
In November 2025, a number of historical monuments in the Odesa region associated with the Russian Imperial and Soviet eras lost their protected status. This paved the way for their removal.
At the same time, the dismantling of the Pushkin monument in Odesa was temporarily halted. City officials explained this by citing the monument’s location in the historic center, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is on the list of sites in danger.
In July 2026, activists updated a map of monuments to Alexander Pushkin that, in their opinion, should be dismantled. Four such monuments were identified in the Odesa region. According to the activists’ estimates, the Odesa region has the highest number of monuments to the Russian poet in Ukraine.
Ірина Глухова