Kyiv proposes updating Bessarabska Square spelling to Basarabska

Kyiv proposes updating Bessarabska Square spelling to Basarabska AI

A draft Kyiv City Council decision published 19 August 2026 would change the spelling of Bessarabska Square and the adjacent Bessarabskiy Drive to Basarabska and Basarabskiy to match the new Ukrainian orthography. The proposal is awaiting commission review and would not require extra city funds. A small orthographic change affects central city landmarks; council committees will review the proposal after it appeared on the city site on 19 August 2026.

Kyiv officials have proposed adjusting the official Ukrainian spelling of two central toponyms: Bessarabska Square in Shevchenkivskyi district and Bessarabskiy Drive in Pecherskyi district. A draft decision was posted on the Kyiv City Council website on 19 August 2026 and is currently awaiting consideration by council commissions.

The change replaces the Russian-influenced double-s spelling ("Bessarab-") with the Ukrainian-standard single-s form ("Basarab-"), aligning the names with the Ukrainian orthography rules approved by the National Commission for State Language Standards on 1 March 2026. The project was prepared by the Department of Public Communications of KMDA and submitted by the mayor.

The proposal cites appeals from the Commissioner for the Protection of the State Language and recommendations from the National Commission and the Institute of the Ukrainian Language (NASU). The draft does not address the Bessarabskiy market, and the city says implementing the spelling changes would not require additional budget funds.

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