Camilla Jessen
A symbolic change is coming to the Danish capital.
Seven streets in Copenhagen are set to be named after Ukrainian cities, according to Lesia Ignatyk-Eriksen, head of the Danish nonprofit Hjælp Ukrainske Børn (Help Ukrainian Children).
The initiative was approved by Copenhagen’s Climate, Technical, and Environmental Committee. The area where the streets are located has a maritime character, which influenced the choice to focus on Ukrainian port cities.
The planned names are Kyivgade (Kyiv Street), Mariupolgade (Mariupol Street), Ukrainagade (Ukraine Street), Sevastopolgade (Sevastopol Street), Khersongade (Kherson Street), Mykolajivgade (Mykolaiv Street), and Odesagade (Odesa Street).
Community involvement
Ignatyk-Eriksen said the Danish-Ukrainian Association asked her organisation to help determine which Ukrainian cities should be included.
The selections were made with both historical and symbolic significance in mind. Several of the cities have been directly affected by fighting or occupation since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The process, she said, was driven by the Ukrainian community’s desire to ensure that the names reflected lived experiences, not just geography.
Why Mariupol matters
One name in particular was non-negotiable, according to the organisation.
“We insisted that Mariupol be on the list. It’s the city where Ukrainian defenders held out heroically. The city that became a symbol of crimes against civilians. The city where the world saw the photo of a building with the word ‘CHILDREN’ written in large letters—yet it was still destroyed by bombs,” the organisation wrote.
Mariupol was largely destroyed during the early months of the war and has become one of the most powerful symbols of civilian suffering.
“These are not just street names,” the organisation said. “They are memory, truth, and the voice of Ukrainian children, which must be heard across Europe.”
Sources: Hjælp Ukrainske Børn, Danish-Ukrainian Association, TV2 Kosmopol
