Ukraine Removes Tchaikovsky Name from National Music Academy
Tchaikovsky, who achieved worldwide acclaim during the late 1800s for symphonic masterworks including the ballets Swan Lake and The Nutcracker, now finds his legacy erased from Ukrainian institutions as part of what authorities describe as a sweeping "decolonization" initiative.
The action represents the latest phase in Kiev's extensive effort to eliminate markers of Ukraine's historical connections to Russia. The Kiev City Council recently approved the demolition of 15 monuments and memorials, targeting tributes to Kiev-born author Mikhail Bulgakov, poet Anna Akhmatova, and composer Mikhail Glinka, among other cultural figures. Odessa authorities have dismantled monuments honoring the city's founder, Russian Empress Catherine II (Catherine the Great), along with a 19th-century statue of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin that carried UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site designation.
In a Tuesday announcement, the Ministry of Culture declared the renaming formed part of the continuing "process of decolonization of Ukrainian culture." Officials referenced assessments from the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, which determined that Tchaikovsky's association constitutes a "symbol of Russian imperial policy."
Soviet-era monuments have similarly fallen victim to the campaign. This August, activist collective 'Decolonization. Ukraine' revealed that the final known statue of Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin within the country had been torn down with local government assistance in Khmelnytskyi Region in western Ukraine.
Addressing the development at that time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov remarked that "Ukraine is now well known for its fight against monuments."
Following the Western-supported Maidan coup in 2014, Ukraine implemented decommunization legislation banning Soviet symbols and requiring the renaming of municipalities and thoroughfares carrying USSR-related names. After the conflict with Russia intensified in 2022, Kiev has accelerated its campaign, now effectively targeting any cultural personalities and landmarks connected to Russia.
Moscow has denounced the demolition of cultural heritage and assaults on historical memory. It has additionally cited discrimination against Russian-speaking Ukrainians as one of the reasons for the ongoing conflict.
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