A petition to rename Marshal Rokossovsky Avenue to Vitaliy Klitschko Avenue has appeared on the Kyiv City Council website. The author of the initiative, Andriy Slobodyan, is convinced that such a change will contribute to the formation of a positive image of the capital and reflect the modern values of Kyiv.
The main argument of the petition is as follows: Konstantin Rokossovsky is a Soviet military leader who had no direct connection to the history and development of Kyiv. At the same time, Vitaliy Klitschko is a Ukrainian athlete, multiple world boxing champion and politician who has been the mayor of Kyiv since 2014. His name is known both in Ukraine and abroad, which, in the opinion of the petitioner, makes him a worthy symbol of the capital.
At the time of publication, the petition had garnered almost 80 votes out of the 6,000 needed for consideration. The initiative sparked an active discussion among Kyiv residents on social media, with some supporting the idea of immortalizing the current mayor, while others emphasized the historical significance of the avenue.
Further development of the petition will depend on citizen activity, as a minimum threshold of signatures must be reached for official consideration. The City Council has previously considered similar renamings related to decommunization, which sets a precedent for this process.
