Photo credit: The Portrait of Pushkin Alexander Sergeevich. 1827 / en.wikipedia.org (CC0)
The authorities of the Georgian city of Kobuleti initiated the renaming of Pushkin and Popov streets, as well as the local village of Stalinisubani. Representatives of social movements of Georgia, as well as prominent scientists, journalists and human rights activists opposed these steps, Russkiy Mir was told in the press service of the Eurasia Institute.
Kobuleti, located in the Adjara region, is well known to many natives of the Soviet Union as a popular health resort. The local authorities explained their desire to rename the streets by the desire of the local population. Georgian activists, who consider it important to maintain Georgian-Russian ties, doubted that it was the reason.
They called on the authorities of Kobuleti to deal with urban problems and not touch the names of famous people who enjoy world fame. Well-known public figures, heads of institutions, journalists, and human rights activists opposed the renaming.
Almost every major Georgian city has a Pushkin street. Activists suggest that Kobuleti has become the first attempt, and in the future, at the behest of the West, streets in honor of the Russian classic will be renamed everywhere in Georgia.
There was an initiative not only to keep the old names, but also to give one of the central streets of the city the name of the Liberators of Adjara. The region has a rich history of ties with Russia, in the 1870s Adzharia and Batumi became part of the Russian Empire.
Russkiy Mir
