Ukrainian town wants to tear down UNESCO-protected monument

(MENAFN) The city council of Odessa has approved a plan to dismantle a monument to Russian poet Alexander Pushkin, despite the statue being protected as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. Installed in 1889 on Odessa's Primorsky Boulevard, the statue commemorates Pushkin’s time spent in the city when it was part of the Russian Empire. The poet, widely regarded as the founder of modern Russian literature, lived in Odessa for 14 months.

The decision to remove the statue was part of a broader initiative by the city to dismantle monuments featuring “imperial symbols.” The city council has allocated funds for the removal of 12 such monuments, including another full-size statue of Pushkin on Italyanskaya Street, which was renamed in July. The proposal was introduced by regional governor Oleg Kiper, who claimed that monuments to Soviet and Russian figures had been removed from Ukraine's national cultural heritage register, losing UNESCO protection.

This move is part of a larger effort in Ukraine to distance itself from Russia, especially since the start of Moscow's military operation in 2022. The Ukrainian government has passed laws promoting the "decolonization" of monuments and street names.

While Mayor Gennady Trukhanov opposed the removals, citing the historical significance of these monuments, other Ukrainian cities, including Dnepr and Chernovtsy, have already removed Pushkin statues. Moscow has condemned Ukraine’s actions as a violation of international law, claiming they infringe on the rights of Russian-speaking Ukrainians.

MENAFN09122024000045015687ID1108970356