Notes from Mykolaiv: How Moscow’s Missiles Destroy the Imperial Myth in Our South

War accelerates the decolonization of Mykolaiv, transforming the city into a model of a new identity

Mykolaiv, which suffers from constant shelling, is an example of how war accelerates decolonization processes through the destruction of narratives of the former empire.

Mykolaiv, constantly under ballistic missile strikes, becomes a place where destruction and inspiration converge. Each new strike only strengthens the residents’ desire for recovery and reflection on their identity. This occurs both on the cultural front and in the daily life of the city inhabitants. Attacks on urban infrastructure such as the regional state administration and shipbuilding plant do not prevent residents from holding literary festivals and filling the local theatre, which operates even in shelters.

Memorialization processes continue at missile fall sites: informational plaques are installed, and debris is preserved. Makeshift monuments become part of the urban landscape, highlighting the residents’ readiness to create new symbols in the absence of official support.

War, according to many experts, can accelerate Ukraine’s decolonization processes. The destruction of centuries-old imperial narratives stimulates the revision of history and increased interest in local cultural heritage. Meanwhile, the installation of the monument to the legendary Mykola Arkas, a descendant of a famous Cossack dynasty, has not been completed yet in Mykolaiv. The absence of signs in honor of Sofia Bohdanovych-Arkas and Petro Bohdanovych, linked with the Cossack era, demonstrates the complexity of the historical rethinking process.

Despite the difficult wartime conditions, a new cultural dynamic is unfolding in Mykolaiv, indicating the residents’ readiness to participate in forming a new, independent identity for the region.