Poroshenko begins renaming toponymy in Crimea
The law on decommunization adopted in Ukraine opens up the possibility of “returning historical toponymy to Crimea.”
This was stated today in Kyiv by the participants of a press conference on this topic - Advisor to the Minister of Information Policy of Ukraine Sergei Kostinsky, Head of the Department for Supporting the Work of the Commissioner of the President of Ukraine for the Affairs of the Crimean Tatar People Arsen Zhumadilov.
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“Local self-government and state authorities will have to submit proposals to parliament on the renaming of settlements in Ukraine, including the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol, within 6 months from the date of adoption,” said Sergei Kostinsky. – But since Crimea is occupied, no proposals will come from there. Therefore, we see the activation of a mechanism in which the Institute of National Remembrance will take part. Now we are preparing a public discussion of proposals for the return of historical toponymy to Crimea.”
The names of 96 settlements and three regions of Crimea are subject to the law on decommunization. Most of the “demomunized” toponyms are Crimean Tatar, there are also Russian and Jewish ones. Sergei Kostinsky read out the “communist” and former names of some of these points. He also expressed confidence that the return of the previous names will improve the tourist attractiveness of Crimea.
“Changing names is necessary, among other things, for the economic development of Crimea. People are happy to travel to Balaklava, Inkerman, Yalta, Koktebel - these names are unique and historically associated with these places. And names such as Oktyabrskoye, Pionerskoye, Leninskoye, etc. do not carry any historical value for those tourists who will go to Crimea after de-occupation. Returning Crimea to its historical appearance will allow the creation of local brands and will contribute to economic growth,” Sergei Kostinsky is confident.
English version :: Read in English: Poroshenko begins renaming toponyms in Crimea