In Kyiv's Pechersk district, a portion of Lavrska Street, from Slava Square to Dobrovolchykh Bataliyoniv Street, has been renamed after hetman Ivan Mazepa. The other section of the street, from Dobrovolchykh Bataliyoniv to Navodnytska Square, has returned to its historic name – Novonavodnytska Street. This was reported by the Kyiv City State Administration.
The decision was made on December 4 during a plenary session of the V session of the Kyiv City Council, where 72 deputies voted in favor.
Olesya Pinzenyk, the city council member who initiated the renaming, stated that residents of Kyiv had been advocating for this change since 2022, supporting an electronic petition.
The initiative was later discussed and endorsed during public consultations.
It also received backing from the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra" and the National Museum of Holodomor-Genocide.
"Ivan Mazepa is one of the most prominent figures in Ukraine's history and a patron who significantly contributed to the development of the Kyiv-Pecherska Lavra. His name should be immortalized on the street where the temples restored with his funding stand. The change of the street's name in 2010 at the request of the Moscow Patriarchate was a humiliation of Ukrainian history and a direct influence of the enemy on our local self-governance," emphasized Pinzenyk.
"Today, we are restoring the right of Kyiv residents to their own memory. I am grateful to everyone who fought for this decision and encourage active participation in shaping the cultural environment of our city," she added.