Three people from Mykolaiv region stole Dudayev's table in Lviv

Law enforcement officers have detained three suspects in the theft of a memorial plaque to Dzhokhar Dudayev, which was recently installed in the center of Lviv.

According to the Lviv regional police, the incident occurred on May 1 at about 07:25. A representative of the city council reported to the police that the memorial plaque had disappeared from the facade of the building.

Criminal investigation operatives, police analysts, and officers of the Security Service of Ukraine were involved in solving the crime. The law enforcement analyzed the video surveillance footage from the Safe Lviv Region system and identified the suspects.

The offenders were detained in accordance with Article 208 of the CPC of Ukraine. They were three 18-year-old residents of Mykolaiv region.

Investigators opened criminal proceedings under the article on theft. The sanction provides for up to eight years in prison. The pre-trial investigation is currently underway.

As a reminder, due to the status of a monument of monumental art, demolition or relocation of the Makarov monument is currently legally impossible. In addition, any attempts to move the object will be a significant financial burden for the budget of Mykolaiv, as the cost of such work is estimated at millions of hryvnias.

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

Earlier, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine included the monument to poet Alexander Pushkin in the city of Tatarbunary, Odesa region, in the list of objects that are not subject to entry into the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine.

In November 2025, historical monuments in the Odesa region lost their protected status, paving the way for their possible dismantling. The decision concerns monuments associated with the Russian imperial and Soviet eras. 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.

Андрій Колісніченко