Російський проімперський слід в українській топоніміці

Abstract

Changes in Ukrainian society due to the active influence of political factors and objective changes actualize toponymic analysis of geographical names of Ukraine. In April 2015 Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law “On conviction of Communist and National Socialist (Nazi) totalitarian regimes in Ukraine and promote their prohibition symbols”. This law significantly stimulated the local authorities of regions, towns and villages rename those objects of place names, which are of Soviet and imperial names within six months since the date of entry into force of the law. Nowadays there are about 1,000 Soviet names of settlements in Ukraine. The greatest number of them preserved in Kharkiv (112) and Dnipropetrovsk (89) regions, but they are completely absent in Transcarpathia, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Rivne regions. In the section of administrative districts of Ukraine, the largest number of Soviet place names happen in Krynychky and Piatykhatky districts of Dnipropetrovsk region (12) and Snihurivka district of Mykolaiv region (11). Manipulations of organising of public debates and public voting on possible options on changes of names on the places (in Dnipropetrovsk, Illichivsk, Kirovograd, Shchors) prove the significant inertia of colonial attitudes sentiment in Eastern Ukraine. One of the ways of these manipulations levelling is the toponymic policy implemented in the country, which is led by the Institute of National Remembrance. In the process of the renaming of oikonyms primarily and ahoronyms, hodonyms, urbanonyms subsequently, researchers recommend focusing mainly on historical roots. Therefore, they criticise the Russian imperial historical myths created in Muscovy in the XVI century that were based on the appropriation of the history of Kyivan Rus and Ukrainian historical name “Rus”. Bringing this information to a wide range of Ukrainians has extremely important educational and educative value. Key words: ahoronyms, hodonyms, oikonyms, place names, urbanonyms, historical myths, decommunization, decolonization, Country Moksel, Muscovy, Russian Empire