KIEV, April 14. /TASS/. Ukraine needs at least $217 million in a project to rid itself of Soviet-era placenames, a senior Ukrainian expert said on Tuesday.
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The program is envisages by the law passed on April 9 condemning and criminalising Communist and Nazi regimes and banning propaganda and public use of their symbols.
Within six months, Ukrainian towns, villages, streets and other places having names associated with former days must also be given new identities.
"This is not just about changing nameplates," noted expert Alexander Okrimenko. The new law requires printing new maps and dismantling monuments, he said.
Kiev city council calculates that changing nameplates at one street of 100 houses would cost $5,300. Across the country, Ukraine has some 30,000 towns with streets named after Bolshevik Revolution leader Vladimir Lenin.
Most towns having Communist-era names are located in eastern Ukraine.