Text resize: A A
Change contrast

The fight for a letter: how Ukraine is removing Russia’s imperial legacy

For decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, remnants of the Soviet and Russian imperial legacy, such as symbols, street names and the names of cities and villages, remained visible in Ukraine’s public spaces. Russia’s 2014 invasion, followed by the full-scale assault in 2022, accelerated efforts to purge this legacy, though not always without controversy.

For years, Dmytro Karpiy has been on a mission to erase Soviet and Russian imperial symbols from Ukraine’s streets, advocating for the renaming of places and the removal of monuments that glorify a past empire. His latest battle is over a single letter in the name of Brovary, a city in Kyiv Oblast, where he has lived for 16 years.

July 8, 2025 - Olena Makarenko - Issue 4 2025MagazineStories and ideas

This renaming effort gained momentum after Ukraine passed the law on the condemnation and prohibition of propaganda concerning Russian imperial policy in Ukraine and the decolonization of toponymy in 2023. On September 19th 2024, the Ukrainian parliament voted to rename 327 settlements and four districts, whose names contain symbols of Russian imperial policy or do not comply with the standards of the state language. The city of Brovary was not included in the vote, leaving its status in limbo with its chances for renaming rather low. 

The large-scale wave of renaming and removing Soviet symbols in Ukraine was triggered by the EuroMaidan Revolution, followed by Russia’s 2014 invasion of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts and the occupation of Crimea. This reignited the de-communization process, which began during the Soviet Union’s collapse but remained unfinished, peaking in 2015. 

This article is for members only

Join the New Eastern Europe community to unlock this article — plus enjoy full access to premium content, our digital archive, newsletter insights, and podcast updates.

BECOME A MEMBER!

Already a member? Sign in to read the full article.

,

Partners

Terms of Use | Cookie policy | Copyryight 2026 Kolegium Europy Wschodniej im. Jana Nowaka-Jeziorańskiego 31-153 Kraków
Agencja digital: hauerpower studio krakow.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. View more
Cookies settings
Accept
Decline
Privacy & Cookie policy
Privacy & Cookies policy
Cookie name Active
Poniższa Polityka Prywatności – klauzule informacyjne dotyczące przetwarzania danych osobowych w związku z korzystaniem z serwisu internetowego https://neweasterneurope.eu/ lub usług dostępnych za jego pośrednictwem Polityka Prywatności zawiera informacje wymagane przez przepisy Rozporządzenia Parlamentu Europejskiego i Rady 2016/679 w sprawie ochrony osób fizycznych w związku z przetwarzaniem danych osobowych i w sprawie swobodnego przepływu takich danych oraz uchylenia dyrektywy 95/46/WE (RODO). Całość do przeczytania pod tym linkiem
Save settings
Cookies settings