Urbanonymy as an Instrument of Commemoration and De-commemoration of the German-Soviet War in Kharkiv

Abstract

The article explores the process of commemoration and de-commemoration of the Second World War events in Kharkiv. The study examines how the memory of the German-Soviet War is inscribed into Kharkiv’s toponymic landscape and analyses the transformations shaping this commemorative dimension in the present era. The scientific novelty of this publication lies in examining the emergence and consolidation of the memory of individuals and events of the Second World War, particularly its German-Soviet dimension, within the toponymic landscape during the second half of the XX century and the first quarter of the XXI century; in assessing the influence of state normative and legal acts adopted between 2015 and 2025 on the contemporary nomination of urbanonyms; and in advancing hypothesises concerning the prospective trajectories of commemorating the history of 1941–1945 through the renaming of specific toponyms.Analysing the transformations in Kharkiv’s contemporary toponymy, the author concludes the city is undergoing a reformatting of historical memory through the new nomination of urbanonyms. The current authors of state ideology, active proponents of a revised interpretation of Ukraine’s history, expect that by renaming objects within the street and road network, they will be able to reshape the commemoration of the German-Soviet War. Over time, this is anticipated to erode the respectful attitude toward that period of the country’s past in popular memory and to alter public perceptions of the veterans of that war. An examination of the de-commemoration of the German-Soviet War reveals an intensifying state involvement in the nomination of geographical names. At present, Ukraine has a series of normative legal acts that regulate the narratives to be employed in geographical naming. An analysis of commemoration and de-commemoration in Kharkiv indicates that the formation of the city’s new toponymic landscape is significantly influenced by members of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) ‘Decolonisation. Ukraine.’ This organisation seeks to contest and reframe the public memory of those who fought against the Nazis in the ranks of the Red Army during the Second World War, as well as the events that unfolded in the Kharkiv region between 1941 and 1945.