Copenhagen has decided to name seven new streets after Ukrainian cities. Among them is Mariupol.
The new place names will appear in Nordhavn, Copenhagen's new maritime district, built on the site of the former port. That is why Ukrainian port cities were chosen for the names, so that they would fit organically into the infrastructure of the area.
The list of new names was proposed by the Danish-Ukrainian Union and the organization Hjælp Ukrainske Børn (Help Ukrainian Children). This was reported by the World Congress of Ukrainians.
The planned streets will be named as follows: Kyivgade (Kyiv Street), Mariupolgade (Mariupol Street), Ukraina Street (Ukraine Street), Sevastopol Street (Sevastopol Street), Kherson Street (Kherson Street), Mykolaiv Street (Mykolaiv Street), and Odessa Street (Odessa Street).
"We insisted that Mariupol be included in the list. A city where Ukrainian defenders held out heroically. A city that has become a symbol of crimes against the civilian population. A city where the whole world saw a photo of a building with the word "CHILDREN" written in large letters — and which was nevertheless destroyed by aerial bombs," wrote Hjælp Ukrainske Børn.
For Ukrainians, these are not just street names. They are the memory, truth, and voice of Ukrainian children that must be heard in Europe, the public organization notes.