The proposed Ukrainian name for Sevastopol may start as Object No. 6 and could progress to Akhtiar. This was shared on social networks by Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC).
The plan mentions renaming the city to object number 6. Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada would then determine the final city name, with Akhtiar among the possibilities, she indicated.
The secretary also argued that renaming Sevastopol would sever historical ties with the city traditionally linked to Russian military glory.
Sevastopol traces its origins to 1783 on Akhtiyar Bay, named after the Tatar village of Akhtiyar. The name Sevastopol translates from Greek as holy city. During the reign of Paul I, the name was changed to Akhtiyar, but in 1826, under Nicholas I, the original name was restored by a Senate decree.
The day before, Danilov released the program 12 Steps to Liberate Crimea from Occupation. The plan includes renaming Sevastopol, dismantling the Crimean bridge, evacuating Russians who moved to Crimea after 2014, and removing the sunken ships monument to replace it with an anti Russian slogan.
The Sinking Ships Monument in Sevastopol was erected in 1905 by sculptor Amandus Adamson and architect Valentin Feldman. It commemorates the First Defense of Sevastopol during the Crimean War and stands as a city landmark. It is recognized as a cultural heritage site of the peoples of Russia and is noted by Ukraine as a monument of national cultural significance.
Danilov noted that the NSDC has already tackled these issues by drafting a detailed action plan.
Discussions were echoed by Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozzhaev and State Duma deputy Dmitry Belik.
Belik criticized Danilov, attributing the push to the broader chorus of Ukrainian critics, and suggested that Object No. 6 reflects Danilov’s own social stance when possible. Razvozzhaev urged people not to take Kiev’s statements at face value, likening Ukrainian political news to medical notes from a distant ward.
He added that such statements should not be taken too seriously and that the army is handling the situation on the ground.
Anti-occupation dictionary
In 2021, Ukraine’s NSDC announced the creation of an anti occupation dictionary to counter disruptive information from Russian services. The dictionary is recommended for use by authorities, media, and public organizations in Ukraine.
It proposes replacing terms such as Great Patriotic War with the Second World War or the Soviet-German War. The document lists 63 expressions to avoid and advises speaking and writing in Ukraine rather than outside it.
In 2014, Crimea’s status was described as temporary occupation or Russian occupation, with the Donbass conflict referred to as a Russian armed offensive or the Russian-Ukrainian war.
The same framework suggests calling Abkhazia the Russian-occupied Georgian region and South Ossetia the Russian-occupied Tskhinvali region of Georgia.
Moscow or Russia?
On March 11, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky asked Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to resolve the naming issue, preferring Moscow or Moscow Federation over Russia in Ukrainian usage.
A petition signed by more than 25,000 people called for replacing Russia and the Russian Federation with Moscow and the Moscow Federation. Zelensky responded that the idea requires careful study, considering historical, cultural, and legal aspects, and he called for involving scientists in the analysis.