This year in Ukraine, over 25,000 places have been renamed as part of the decommunization efforts.

Throughout the current year, over 25 thousand toponymic objects have been renamed as part of the decommunization process.

This was reported by the head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory (UINP), Anton Drobovych, during a press conference at Ukrinform, dedicated to the public report on the five-year work of the agency.

According to him, the full-scale Russian invasion has sparked a desire among people to rid themselves of the Russian imperial legacy. In this regard, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law in 2023 condemning and prohibiting the propaganda of Russian imperial policies in Ukraine.

“We have received data from regional administrations regarding the first year of the implementation of the decommunization law. At least 25,194 toponymic objects have been renamed under this law during this year, and at least 1,066 monuments and signs have been dismantled. It is important to emphasize that in reality, there are more such objects. Some objects were dismantled or renamed before the law came into force. The reaction to Russian aggression prompted people to take these actions themselves, and some local governments did not wait for the law but began to act earlier,” he said.

According to Drobovych, the UINP has also contributed to the development of a draft resolution for the Verkhovna Rada regarding the renaming of settlements in the temporarily occupied Autonomous Republic of Crimea. According to this document, the renaming of 668 toponyms is planned. Some settlements will be decommunized, while others will revert to their historical names.

Regarding the rehabilitation of those repressed by the Soviet authorities, Drobovych stated that a total of 1,970 individuals have been rehabilitated, and 741 people have been recognized as victims of repression. In particular, at the initiative of the UINP, Ukrainian and Armenian film director Sergei Parajanov was rehabilitated.

In Drobovych's opinion, by 2025-2026, the UINP should become a key institution in achieving Polish-Ukrainian historical understanding.

As reported by Ukrinform, the Verkhovna Rada has already renamed about 330 settlements whose names contained the symbolism of Russian imperial policies or did not meet the standards of the state language.