Mykolaiv

Mykolaiv

(Mykolaiv before the 2022 Russian War.)

Mykolaiv is Port City in southern Ukraine.

It is known as Миколаїв Transliterated as Mykolaiv in Ukrainian and as Николаев Transliterated as Nikolaev in Russian.

Mykolaiv was named after Saint Nicholas, the Patron of Seafarers.

Mykolaiv is the Capital City of Mykolaiv Oblast (Ukrainian: Миколаївська область) or Mykolaiv Province (there are 24 Oblasts in Ukraine.)

Mykolaiv is 297 miles from Kyiv.

Mykolaiv was founded in 1789 by Prince Grigory Potemkin (Ukrainian: Григорій Потьомкін or Russian: Григорий Потёмкин) a Russian Nobleman, Military Leader, the Namesake of the Potemkin village (Ukrainian: Потьомкінські села or Russian: Потёмкинские деревни) and Statesman who was loved by Czarina Catherine the Great (Ukrainian: Катерина Велика or Russian: Екатерина Великая.)

It took 2,500 People (Ukrainian Peasants, Russian Soldiers and Turkish Prisoners-Of-War) to build the City.

The Russian Empire's Black Sea Navy Headquarters was in Mykolaiv for more than 100 years until the Imperial Russian Navy moved it to Sevastopol in Crimea.

During the Crimean War (1853–1856), Mykolaiv became the main Rear Base to support Russia's efforts in the War.

By the later part of the 19^th Century Mykolaiv's Port ranked third in the Russian Empire (after Saint Petersburg and Odesa) in trade with Foreign Countries.

Jews started to settle in Mykolaiv in the late 18th Century.

Mykolaiv was part of the Pale of Settlement (Ukrainian: Смуга осілості or Russian: Черта оседлости or Yiddish: דער ייִדישער צעטייל־געגנט) the only part of Russian Empire that Jews were legally allow to live in from 1791 to 1917.

There were Anti-Jewish Pogroms in Mykolaiv in May 1881 and in April 1899

In 1917 the Russian Czar was forced to Abdicate in February and the Soviet Communists took over Moscow and most of Russia in November.

At the same time Ukraine suffered two Wars: the Ukrainian–Soviet War (Ukrainian: українсько-радянська війна or Russian: Украинско-советская война) fought between the Ukrainians and the Soviet Russians from March 1917 until November 1921 and the Polish–Ukrainian War (Ukrainian: Польсько-українська війна or Polish: Wojna polsko-ukraińska) fought between the Ukrainians and the Poles from November 1918 until July 1919.

The Germans occupied Mykolaiv in 1918 (shortly before they were defeated during World War 1) and then the French occupied the City in 1919 as part of the West’s Intervention during the Russian Civil War (the War between the Soviet Communists and the Non-Communist Russians.)

The Poles won the Polish-Ukrainian War and annexed western Ukraine (including the City of Lviv (Ukrainian: Львів or Russian: Львов or Polish: Lwów) to Poland.

The Soviets won the Ukrainian-Soviet War and made the rest of Ukraine (except the western Part) the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (Ukrainian: Українська Радянська Соціалістична Республіка or Russian: Украинская Советская Социалистическая Республика) a Republic within the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Ukrainian: Союз Радянських Соціалістичних Республік or Russian: Союз Советских Социалистических Республик.)

When the Soviet Union took control of Ukraine in 1922 there was a Petition to rename the City from Mykolaiv (named after Saint Nicolas and not seen as a worthy name in the Communist Atheist Soviet Union to Vernoleninsk (or “Faithful to Lenin.")

The Name Change was rejected by Moscow yet many Non-Russian Maps (especially those in Germany) in the 1920s-1940s called Mykolaiv  -  Vernoleninsk  - which would impact things in June 1941.

In June 1941 Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union.

Mykolaiv (or as the Nazis were looking for on their maps – Vernoleninsk – was occupied by the Germans on August 16, 1941.

From September 16-30, 1941 the Germans (Wehrmacht and Einsatzgruppe D) massacred 35,782 Men, Women and Children (98% of those killed were Jews and 2% of those killed were Communist Non-Jews) in what is known as the Mykolaiv Massacre (Ukrainian: Розстріли у Миколаєві or Russian: Расстрелы в Николаеве or German: Massaker von Mykolajiw.)

In April 1942 the German Stalag 364 Prisoner-Of-War Camp was opened in Mykolaiv.

The POW Camp closed in December 1943.

On March 28, 1944 Mykolaiv was liberated by Soviet Senior Lieutenant Konstantin F. Olshansky's Marines.

(Mykolaiv during Russia’s War.)

During the Euromaidan Protests of 2013–2014, Mykolaiv was the scene of Anti-Yanukovich Protests.

After the Victory of Euromaidan, the situation calmed down somewhat until 7 April 2014, when some Pro-Russians tried to take over the Local Administration Building.

 Pro-Ukrainians stopped them from taking over the Administration Building and destroyed the Pro-Russian Camp after which the situation in the City became calm.

Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Before the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2022 Mykolaiv had a Population of 470,011.

72% of the Population of Mykolaiv are Ethnic Ukrainians and 23% are Ethnic Russians.

56% of the Population of Mykolaiv speak Russian as their First Language, 42% of the Population speak Ukrainian as their First Language.

99% of the Population that has the Russian Language as their First Language are also fluent in the Ukrainian Language.

96% of the Population that has the Ukrainian Language as their First Language are also fluent in the Russian Language.

Since the Russian Invasion in 2022 Ukrainian has been the Official Language of the City of Mykolaiv.

The Battle of Mykolaiv (Ukrainian: Бої за Миколаїв or Russian: Бои за Николаев ) took place between the Russians and the Ukrainians from February 28, 2022 until April 8, 2022.

The Ukrainian Military and Ukrainian Civilians only had 5 hours to barricade the City before the first attack occurred.

The Russians needed to take Mykolaiv in order to continue on to Odesa, but the Ukrainians defeated the Russians and Mykolaiv was never occupied.

128 Ukrainian Civilians were killed, 545 were wounded and 250,000 were forced to flee the City for other parts of Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Mykolaiv a Hero City of Ukraine (Ukrainian: Місто-герой України) in March 2022 for the Sacrifices of the Military and Civilians in defending Mykolaiv.

Ever since February 2022 Mykolaiv has been bombed by the Russians (with Drones and Missiles.)

While the Russians never occupied the City of Mykolaiv they did occupy 11 of 18 Ukrainian Settlements in Mykolaiv Oblast.

Russia continues to occupy 3 Ukrainian Settlements in Mykolaiv Oblast.

The City is at the confluence where the Inhul and Southern Bug Rivers meet.

It is a Major Transportation Hub with a Seaport, a Commercial Port, a River Port and Highway and Railway Junctions as well as an Airport.

The Airport (like all Ukrainian Airports) has been closed since the Russian Invasion in February 2022.

The City also has several Research Centers that specialize in Shipbuilding such as  the State Research and Design Shipbuilding Center (Ukrainian: Ukrainian: Державне підприємство «Дослідно-проектний центр кораблебудування») and Zoria-Mashproekt (Ukrainian: «Зоря» — «Машпроект».)

The City had (before the Russian Bombs): 74 Pre-Schools, 75 Elementary, Middle and High Schools and 10 Universities.

There are three Performing Arts Theaters in Mykolaiv: the Academic Ukrainian Theater of Drama and Musical Comedy, the Mykolaiv State Puppet Theater, and the Mykolaiv Academic Art Russian Drama Theater.

 In addition, the Mykolaiv Oblast Philharmonic performs in the city.

Mykolaiv has the following Museums: Mykolaiv Regional Museum of Local History, The Museum of Shipbuilding and Fleet, the Museum of the World War II Partisan Movement and the V. V. Vereshchagin Art Museum.

At least 1,389 Sites in Mykolaiv have been destroyed due to Russian Bombs costing at least $9.8 Billion US Dollars.