Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, voted on Sept. 19 to rename 327 settlements that had names related to the Russian Empire or the Soviet Union.
Ukraine's parliament outlawed most Soviet and communist symbols, street names, and monuments as part of a decommunization process in 2015, and many cities, which had received new names under the Soviet authorities, were renamed to reflect their Ukrainian identity.
President Volodymyr Zelensky then signed a law in April 2023 that banned naming geographic sites in Ukraine after Russian figures or historical events in response to the Russian invasion.
Lawmaker Roman Lozynskyi described the decision as "truly historic" and "what should have been done 33 years ago," when Ukraine gained its independence.
"Names imposed on us by Moscow over the centuries will finally be sent to the dustbin of history."
"Towns and villages will return to their historical names, or receive new ones proposed by local councils," Lozynskyi said.
The cities to be renamed include Chervonohrad in Lviv Oblast. The city, whose name refers to the color red, was called Khrystynopil until it was renamed by the Soviet authorities in 1951.
Kate Tsurkan
The new name, Sheptytskyi, was the name of a Ukrainian bishop from the region.
The village of Krasnohrad in Kharkiv Oblast, whose name also refers to the Russian word for the color red, will be renamed Berestyn, after the nearby river of Berestova.
The city of Druzhba in Sumy Oblast has had the name Khutir Mykhailivskyi restored. This was the city's original name before it was changed to Druzhba, meaning Friendship, by the Soviet authorities in 1962.
The start of the full-scale invasion the city regularly comes under attack due to its location just a few kilometers from the border with Russia.
Novomoskovsk, a city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, has been renamed Samar, which refers to the original name of the local Cossack settlement, which was renamed after Moscow in 1794.
According to Lozynskyi, the Verkhovna Rada still needs to make a decision on the naming of another 200 settlements across Ukraine.
Alexandra Keeler
