In southern areas still under Ukrainian control, Putin’s invasion triggered a campaign to replace Russian names and monuments. Numerous streets were named after USSR generals, air force pilots, and scientists. Metro stations commemorated Soviet victories. There were parks honoring Pushkin and Tolstoy. How might these references be interpreted today? Was Pushkin a representative of Russian colonial culture or a universal artist? And what about Bulgakov, a writer of genius whose epoch—in Lytvyn’s opinion—was over?
