The head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration, Maksym Kozytsky, has sharply criticized Odessa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov for his opposition to a large-scale wave of renamings in the city. The conflict once again highlights the complexity of issues related to decommunization and derussification in Ukraine, especially in cities with a rich history like Odesa.
As a reminder, these renamings were initiated by the regional authorities (i.e., the president's vertical). During them, they plan to rename not only streets whose names are associated with Russia or the USSR, but also those named after famous Odessans - writers Babel, Ilf, and Petrov, as well as satirist Zhvanetsky.
Mayor Trukhanov criticized the renaming. He, in turn, was criticized for this by the head of the Odessa region, Kiper. And now Kozytsky has joined in. He stated that the mayor of Odessa “defends the Russian imperial myth that Odessa does not exist without the “great” Russian culture.”.
Kozytsky suggested that Trukhanov has "Stockholm syndrome, when the victim continues to love his executioner" and suggested that the SBU check the mayor.
He called for continuing "the destruction of deeply rooted, centuries-old myths about the friendship of peoples, brotherhood, peace, common victory, and great Russian culture.".
