Uniform rules for local symbols are being developed in the Mykolaiv region

The Mykolaiv Regional Council is conducting a review of the coats of arms and flags of all settlements in the region to bring local symbols into compliance with current legislation.

Denis Andreyev, a council member and deputy chairman of the regional council, discussed this on a local television channel.

According to Andreyev, these symbols are displayed at every event and every council session and serve as a means of identifying the community.

He explained that following the full-scale invasion, changes were made to the legislation, so the region’s symbols needed to be brought into compliance with the new regulations, as well as to emphasize the region’s Ukrainian identity and historical roots.

To this end, an advisory body—the Council on Heraldry—was established under the Regional Council, headed by Andreyev himself. Its members included heraldic experts, and the Ukrainian Heraldic Society was also involved, having participated in preparing the changes to the symbols of the Mykolaiv region—the coat of arms and the flag.

The deputy noted that many settlements in the region already have approved local symbols, so the regional council is developing a regional registry of local symbols and guidelines for their adoption and approval. Together with the Heraldic Council, they are currently reviewing the symbols of all cities and villages in the Mykolaiv region to ensure they comply with current legislation.

When asked whether communities have autonomy in this matter, Andreyev replied that decisions on the approval of a community’s local symbols are made independently.

At the same time, he noted, current presidential decrees require the use of guidelines prepared by regional-level local government bodies, and the symbols themselves must undergo an expert review by the Ukrainian Heraldic Society.

Speaking about the debate surrounding the new symbols of the Mykolaiv region, the deputy explained that three designs from different groups had been submitted for consideration, each reflecting its own historical aspect.

“Our main task was to create symbols that would fully reflect the Mykolaiv region,” Andreyev noted.

According to him, the designers conducted research and showed the sketches to residents of both the Mykolaiv region and other regions to determine which specific elements are associated with the region.

The option chosen by the deputies, he added, best reflected the historical component and was more clearly recognized by residents of other regions as a symbol of the Mykolaiv region than the others.

Andreyev reported that the Heraldic Council’s recommendations will be submitted to the deputies of the regional council for discussion and decision-making.

Currently, he said, regulations on local symbols are being drafted; these will be approved at a session of the regional council and then sent to local government bodies at all levels for use in their work.

Ірина Глухова