In Mahiliou, a "bridge named after Hero of the Soviet Union M.I. Yashin" has appeared. The name violates the law three times

The bridge with lions connects the historical center of Mahiliou with Zadnyaprouye, which was formerly an independent town called Lupalava. Photo: Nasha Niva

The official channel of the Mahiliou City Executive Committee announced that the toponymy commission made a final decision to name the bridge on Pushkin Avenue with the cumbersome name "Bridge named after Hero of the Soviet Union M.I. Yashin". According to officials, the majority of citizens allegedly voted "for", despite the historical inconsistency of the name.

Activists draw attention to the fact that the name is an example of legal nihilism, as it ignores three points of requirements for naming elements of the street and road network at once. They were approved by a resolution of the State Property Committee back in 2008.

Павялічыць

The destroyed Dnieper bridge during the war. Photo: masheka.by

Firstly, the resolution prohibits assigning names to elements of the street and road network that are difficult to perceive and contain verbose combinations. The seven-word construction, by which Mahiliou officials named the Dnieper bridge, is a toponymic nightmare.

Secondly, the document does not allow the use of archaic insertions "імя" (name) or "ім." (named after) in modern names. A toponym must consist only of the object's category and its proper name.

And finally, the regulatory act categorically excludes the use of initials. The norm requires either the full name and surname or only the surname of the historical person to be indicated.

Avoiding initials in names is an absolutely justified phenomenon, as only a few citizens know their exact decipherment. Given linguistic peculiarities, where in Belarusian and Russian languages the same name can start with different letters (Мікалай — Николай), or with the same letter (Нічыпар — Никифор), and several different names can hide behind the same initials, the attempt to decipher the person after whom officials named the object turns into a real toponymic quest.

Geographical Discrepancy

In addition to legal nuances, the cumbersome name officially solidifies a long-standing geographical error, about which we have already written in detail earlier. Senior Lieutenant Mikalai Yashyn indeed gave his life during the liberation of the city from the Germans, but he had no connection to the central Dnieper bridge.

Павялічыць

Scheme of events related to the liberation of Mahiliou. Map: Nasha Niva

At the end of June 1944, the central bridge was completely destroyed. Yashin's reconnaissance squad forced the river much further upstream, in the area of the railway bridge and the village of Palavinny Loh, where his last battle took place. The association of the scout's surname with the city's main crossing arose only in 1964. At that time, the authorities simply hung a memorial plaque in the most prominent place connecting the city center with Zadnyaprouye - on the new concrete bridge, which had been built five years earlier.

The history of the crossing at this location, which has existed as a bridge since 1860, could have suggested a more accurate toponym. But as a result, a cumbersome name appeared, similar to those that emerged during the period of Soviet stagnation, ignoring both the real geography of events and Belarusian laws.

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