OUR capital her Ukrainian renamed 95 streets today as part of an effort to “clean up” Russian and Soviet names, the mayor of Kyiv said a day after the country celebrated 31 years of independence.

After invasion of RussiaIn February, Ukrainian authorities stepped up “de-Russification,” a campaign to erase the legacy of centuries of Moscow rule.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko wrote on Telegram that the new names will honor important historical events, as well as the memory of famous people and heroes who “glorified Ukraine and fought for the independence of our state.” He added that this process is far from over and promised that it will continue.

The street was named “London” in honor of the capital of Great Britain, one of the closest allies of Ukraine. Another was called “Ukrainian Renaissance Street,” echoing President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that Ukraine was “reborn” after Russia’s invasion.

Another road, named after a Soviet defense minister, has been dubbed the “Azov Battalion Road”, which is expected to anger Moscow. Russia accuses this order of fascist far-right ideology and calls it a “terrorist organization”.

^{Source: APE-MEB, Reuters}