Kyiv’s Dostoevsky Lane has been renamed in honor of Maksym Kryvtsov 

On Aug. 29, the Day of Remembrance of Ukraine’s Defenders, the Kyiv City Council renamed seven streets and lanes to honor Ukrainian defenders, including Dostoevsky Lane in the Podil district, which will now bear the name of Ukrainian poet and soldier Maksym Kryvtsov. 

According to Kyiv City Council Secretary Volodymyr Bondarenko, this step is part of the de-Russification and decommunization process aimed at commemorating the memory of Ukrainian defenders and reviving national consciousness. 

“For decades, Russia imposed its narratives, distorting our national consciousness,” he said. Bondarenko also noted, that this event holds sacred significance for all Kyiv residents, since the new names honor heroes who gave their lives for Ukraine’s future.

The lane is located near St. Cyril’s Church, a noteworthy example of 12th-century Kyivan Rus’ architecture.

As reported earlier, Ukrainian poet, photographer and soldier Maksym Kryvtsov, who first enlisted in Ukraine’s defense back in 2014, was killed by Russian forces at the front on Jan. 7, 2024. 

Maksym Kryvtsov (call sign Dali) participated in the Revolution of Dignity and joined Pravyi Sektor (Right Sector) Ukrainian Volunteer Corps (DUK), after the outbreak of the Russo-Ukrainian war in 2014. Later, after returning to civilian life, he worked for a program that helped rehabilitate and reintegrate veterans into society, and also enjoyed spending time as a instructor at Strokati Yenoty, an “adventure camp” for children founded by fellow DUK member Oleksandr Chub. 

His first collection of poems, “Virshi z biinytsi” (“Poetry from a loophole”),  was recently published by the Nash Format Publishing House and was included in PEN Ukraine’s list of the best Ukrainian books of 2023. Another book, “Na minnomu poli panyati” (“On the Minefield of Memory: Diaries, Essays, Stories”), will be released by Nash Format Publishing House in fall 2024. 

Copy editing: Ben Angel