A member of the toponymic commission of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration addressed the criticisms made by the head of the community.

The Malodanilivka community had 9 months to implement the Law and rename streets containing imperial symbolism at their discretion.

This was reported by the director of the Northeast Department of the Institute of National Memory, member of the toponymic commission under the Kharkiv Regional State Administration, Maria Takhtaulova, as relayed by "Dumka".

"I am unpleasantly surprised by the criticisms voiced by the chairman of the Malodanilivka village council, Mr. Hololobov, directed towards the Kharkiv Regional State Administration and the toponymic commission," Takhtaulova began her Facebook post.

According to her, the village council and its chairman collectively had 9 months to comply with the Law and rename the streets that contain imperial symbolism at their discretion.

"And the tasks they left unfinished were to be completed by the head of the Regional State Administration. That is why it is difficult to perceive the decision of the Malodanilivka council as merely an exercise of their powers as a local self-government body. After all, it is accompanied by statements from the head of the community, who essentially calls into question the foundations of state humanitarian policy," the member of the toponymic commission emphasized.

The order to rename toponyms in the communities of the Kharkiv region was signed on July 26 of this year by the head of the Regional State Administration, Oleg Synegubov. The renaming was carried out within the framework of the Law of Ukraine, adopted by the Verkhovna Rada and signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2023.

"So whose patriotism and competence is the head of the community calling into question? Who exactly is accused of receiving the position 'on the wave of changes and populism'? With what purpose is he questioning the foundations of state policy and taking actions that do not promote societal unity, opposing local self-governance to central authority?" Takhtaulova commented on the statement from the chairman of the Malodanilivka council.

As a reminder, in the Kharkiv region, after criticism of the decisions made by the toponymic commission, it was possible to change the names of four streets according to the wishes of local residents.

According to the chairman of the Malodanilivka village council, Alexander Hololobov, a conflict erupted in the community due to the decision of the toponymic commission, which renamed several streets without consulting the residents. One of the decisions caused particular outrage, as residents claimed that their requests were ignored and that the initiative was rushed and ill-considered.