Kirovograd. Renaming the city in the framework of the law on decommunization

Under the decommunization law after Dnepropetrovsk, Kirovograd (Ukraine) was also expected to fall. Renaming took place in the summer of 2016 and caused a wave of popular protests.

The wave of renaming in Ukraine

Renames in Ukraine began under the law "On the condemnation of the communist and national-socialist (nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and the prohibition of propaganda of their symbols."

Decommunization distinguished itself by "Leninopad" - the barbarous demolition of Soviet-era monuments in the cities of central and western Ukraine. The scope of the law also included a circle of people whose activities do not correspond to the new political course.

The city of Kirovograd: where is and what is remarkable?

The regional center of Kirovograd (now called Kropiwnicki) is located in central Ukraine. The city is a large industrial center. At a time when Donetsk agglomeration was still a part of Ukraine, close and fruitful cooperation was established between the industrial complexes of settlements. Also, Kirovograd is a significant transport hub, an educational and cultural center of the Kirovograd region.

History of settlements

At different times Kirovograd (the renaming took place three times, except for the last change of name) was called differently. The city was founded under Elizaveta Petrovna. The Senate proposed the empress to establish a new fortress on the lands of Zaporizhzhya Sich and Hetmanate. The enlarged fortification point was called Elizavetgrad: the name was formed naturally from the phrase "Fortress of St. Elizabeth." In this case, it was not directly about the then-empress Elizabeth, but her heavenly patroness.

Elizavetgrad (modern Kirovograd, renaming occurred in 1939) received the rights of the city after the annexation of the Crimea. Then the fortress lost its strategic importance and was disarmed. After the arrival of the Bolsheviks, the settlement was called Zinovievsky (the name was Kirovograd until 1934). Renaming took place for reasons similar to the current Ukrainian authorities, that is, because the old name of the new ideology did not match.

After the resonant killing of the famous political figure of Kirov, the renaming of streets and cities began again. Especially Zinoviev, in honor of whom the city of Kirovograd was formerly called (renamed in 1934, the name lasted one decade), was accused of an attempt on Kirov. The then renaming is also associated with the formation of the Kirovograd region.

The last renaming of Kirovograd: facts

The city of Kirovograd was officially renamed quite recently - July 14, 2016. The new name of the settlement is Kropiwnicki. Of course, the current authorities could not leave the former name, because the city was named in honor of the famous Soviet leader SM Kirov. Local residents categorically did not accept the proposal of the Verkhovna Rada to rename, so the decision of the authorities responded by a string of protests from citizens and the local administration. No response was received from the Verkhovna Rada.

In addition to the city itself called Kirovograd, the renaming of streets also occurred. Changed the names of 75 streets and lanes. Their former names somehow reminded of the times of the USSR, which in modern Ukraine are banned. The renaming of the streets in Kirovograd (the list is given below) affected the following: Krasnoarmeyskaya (today Abrikosova), Sovetskaya (Ivan Pohitonova), Pavlik Morozov (Youth) Square, Maria Ulyanova (Besarabskaya), Decembrists (now Nikolai Sadovsky) and so on. Leninsky district was renamed Podolsky, Kirov is now called Fortechny (Ukr.).

Rallies and difficulties in the process of renaming

The decision of the Verkhovna Rada to rename the settlement in Kropiwnicki caused a storm of popular protests. People went to rallies under the building of the Verkhovna Rada, the city council also opposed the renaming of Kirovograd in honor of the theater actor Mark Kropivnitsky, who was born in the Kirovograd region.

Most of the residents (82%) voted against renaming the city in principle. If the implementation of the law "On decommunization" is not avoided, let Kirovograd return one of the former names - Elizavetgrad, the citizens decided by voting. It is permissible, according to people, to use another option - Ingulsk. Returning to the city the old name, it is really possible to restore historical justice.

By the way, with a new name for a long time could not decide on the regional administration. The deputies finally supported the name Ingulsk. The initiative was supported at the state level - in the committee on state construction and local administrations.

As for the name adopted by scientists and the Verkhovna Rada as a result, it is alien to both residents and local authorities of the former Kirovograd. For the new name voted 230 (out of 330) people's deputies of the Verkhovna Rada, holding a local referendum, high-ranking authorities did not wait. The government could not allow the return of the name from the times of the Russian Empire. And Mark Kropiwnicki, although he was an outstanding figure of the theater, but many residents of the city heard the name of the famous national playwright for the first time.

What other Ukrainian cities were renamed?

Under the decommunization law, not only small towns and numerous streets, but also quite large populated areas - the centers of the provinces (including Kirovograd). Renaming took place in Dnepropetrovsk, which is now called the Dnieper (or Dnipro in Ukrainian). Thus, the Verkhovna Rada also cut off the reminder of the Russian Empire.

Changed the name of Dneprodzerzhinsk (to Kamenskoe), Komsomolsk (now Gorishnye Plavni), Ulyanovka (Blagoveshchenskoye) and others. All listed cities are in the Dnepropetrovsk region. In general, the wave of renaming affected mostly the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, Dnepropetrovsk, Kharkov, Kherson, Odessa, ie, the southern and eastern regions of Ukraine.

Interestingly, some of the settlements that have been renamed the Rada are in the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics or the Russian Crimea. The Ukrainian authorities have arrogantly changed the names of 150 cities located on their own territory.