Two place names were changed in Odesa, but a female lawmaker's amendment was rejected

The Odesa City Council did not support Councilwoman Olga Kvasnytska’s amendment to rename Nina Onilova Lane in honor of the fallen soldier Yuriy Slipchenko.

This was reported during the broadcastof the special session, which was hosted by Intent.

The issue was considered as part of a draft resolution on renaming and standardizing the names of toponymic objects in Odesa. Kvasnytska noted that her initiative had been discussed at the conciliation council.

According to her, deputies from the “Eurosolidarity” and “Trust the Deeds” factions stated that they would not vote on this issue because it allegedly violates procedure. Kvasnytska noted that the deputies themselves constantly violate the rules of procedure and protocols.

She also reported that the wife of a fallen soldier was present in the chamber. The woman had collected signatures from residents of the alley who did not object to the renaming.

Before the vote on the amendment, the crowd in the chamber chanted “Glory to Ukraine.” Councilmember Oleg Etnarovich noted that it is important to honor the memory of heroes. At the same time, he said, the conciliation council concluded that, to preserve democracy, city authorities must act in accordance with the law, not on a whim.

Etnarovich reminded the assembly that a toponymic commission operates in the city. According to him, the explanatory note states that the renaming was approved by the commission, but this is not true. Therefore, he emphasized, it is not appropriate to begin considering renaming proposals with a falsehood.

The council member also noted that the toponymic commission had approved criteria for renaming. Currently, the list is limited to Heroes of Ukraine, full recipients of the Order of Courage, and—for women—recipients of the Order of Princess Olga.

Olga Kvasnytska denied the accusations of deception. According to her, the fact that the issue did not receive a majority of votes in the toponymic commission does not mean that it has not been approved. She emphasized that the commission’s decision is a recommendation.

Councilwoman Zhanna Mandrychenko stated that the issue of renaming should be discussed with veterans. In her opinion, bodies should be created to help veterans influence the adoption of such decisions.

Andriy Makovetskyi, the deputy mayor for veterans’ affairs, promised to follow up on this issue.

First, the draft resolution was voted on in principle—38 deputies voted “in favor.” After discussion, Kvasnytska’s amendment was not supported: only 13 votes were cast “in favor.” The draft was adopted as a whole with 39 votes.

In accordance with the resolution, Molokova Lane in the Kyiv District was renamed Irina Popova Lane.

In addition, the City Council standardized street names in the Peresypsky District. Leningrad Defense Street was merged with Nechuy-Levytsky Street, and the name “Nechuy-Levytsky Street” was recognized as the official name. This was done because both names referred to the same location.

Ірина Глухова