From France24:
“'Everything Russian must go': Ukraine's Kharkiv renames streets”
Before the war, it was called
"Moscow Avenue". But now this wide boulevard which runs through
Ukraine's second city has been renamed "Heroes of Kharkiv" in honour
of those fighting against invading Russian forces. "Here in Kharkiv, there
is no place for an avenue named after the capital of the occupier that is
killing our people," explains arts student Evgen Deviatka on the newly
named street running through the heart of the northeastern city.
Kharkiv has already renamed three
of its streets and toppled a statue of Alexander Nevsky, a medieval Russian
hero celebrated for his military victories. In time, more than 200 streets or
squares could be renamed or come under scrutiny. Lying some 50 kilometres (30
miles) from the Russian border, Kharkiv came under attack at the start of the
February 24 invasion, enduring long weeks of deadly bombardment before
Ukrainian forces were able to push the Russians back. But the city, which
counted 1.4 million residents before the war began, remains under threat. "Names
are associated with a certain nation or country. What is being done by this
country, we can allsee. So everything Russian must go," declared
59-year-old engineer Laryssa Vassylchenko. Soldier Mykyta Gavrylenko is
standing in front of what remains of the pedestal where Alexander Nevsky's
statue stood until it was pulled down by a truck a few days ago, smashing the
paving stones as it fell. "These are people who oppose Ukrainians and try
to attack us, they kill our citizens, they hurt us, they just humiliate
us," he muses.
‘No Russian names on Kharkiv map' For Yury Sidorenko, spokesman for Kharkiv's city hall, "the time has come" for such change. "Russian toponyms, names for squares, streets and towns, we must be clear: they won't be on any map of Kharkiv," he told AFP. But city officials don't want to rush into it, he says. "There are many names at stake, I can't say how many because that's a question which must be decided by city authorities together with the public," said Sidorenko. And it's not as simple as it seems. If changing the name of Moscow Square or Belgorod Avenue seems obvious -- Belgorod being the city over the border from which Russia launched part of its initial attack -- other changes are less straightforward. What of those places named after historical Russian writers or artists who have nothing to do with the country's modern history? "It's about imperialist culture. The Russians imposed their culture, their writers, everything," says a passerby on Pushkin Street who does not want to give his name. Although he says he has nothing against the 19th-century Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, the street was clearly named after him "because he is Russian". Here the walls now feature artwork and graffiti by Ukrainian street artist Gamlet, who has written "British Street" underneath several of the name plaques, in a nod to the United Kingdom's staunch support for Kyiv since the war began.
'It's complicated' On the
road formerly known as Moscow Avenue, local residents preempted city hall by
covering the name plaques with makeshift signs reading: "Grigory Skovoroda
Avenue" after an 18th-century Ukrainian philosopher. But "Heroes of
Kharkiv" is the name of choice, with the new moniker even showing up on
Google Maps. "It's a good name, better than Moscow Avenue," chuckles
Yulia Butenko, a local craftswoman. "I said ages ago that these names
should be changed," she added, while acknowledging the complications. Take
the celebrated 19th-century Russian writer Nikolai Gogol, who is revered in
both countries. "He wrote about Ukraine but in Russian," she said. And
the same was true of Kyiv-born Russian author and playwright Mikhail Bulgakov
(1891-1940). "So it's complicated." As for Tchaikovsky, Russia's most
famous composer, "he didn't do anything bad to Ukraine, but it's also
Russian culture". And then there's the case of writer and satirist
Ostap Vyshnia (1889-1956). "He's Ukrainian, but he wrote a lot about the
Soviets in a positive way!" she says, exasperated. Such questions even
intrude on mundane day-to-day life. "I didn't buy (a certain yellow)
cheese today because it's still called 'Russian' cheese," she sighed. "It's
all very ambiguous. I'm worried about 'Pushkin Street' because I like Pushkin
but I'll accept it if it's renamed."
^ It is completely understandable
that Kharkiv and all of Ukraine replace any Russian Name with a Ukrainian Name –
Russia does the exact same thing and no one invaded them or is firing missiles
or bullets at them. ^
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.