Populated places in Ukraine

In Ukraine, the term "populated place" (Ukrainian: населений пункт, romanized: naselenyi punkt) refers to a structured component of the human settlement system, representing a stationary community within a territorially cohesive and compact area characterized by a significant concentration of population.^[1] Its defining attribute is the continuous presence of human inhabitants. Populated places in Ukraine are classified into two primary categories: urban and rural.^[2] Urban populated places are cities, whereas rural areas include villages and rural settlements. According to data from the 2001 Ukrainian Census, there are 1,344 urban and 28,621 rural populated places in Ukraine.

All populated places are governed by their hromada (municipality), may it be a village, a city or any settlement hromada. A municipality may consist of one or several populated places and is (except Kyiv and Sevastopol) a constituent part of a raion (district) which in turn is constituents of an oblast (province).

Beside regular populated places in Ukraine that are part of administrative division and population census, there are several additional categories for populated places that are used for other purposes. Among such categories are mountainous populated places, historic populated places, and others.

The 2015 law on decommunization required populated places and toponymy related to Ukraine's past in the Soviet Union to be renamed.^[3] Leading to a string of new Ukrainian toponyms. On 21 March 2023, about a year following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent occupation of parts of Ukraine by Russia, the Ukrainian parliament adopted the law "On the Condemnation and Prohibition of Propaganda of Russian Imperial Policy in Ukraine and the Decolonization of Toponymy", which is set to change the names of places associated with Russian imperialism.^[4] In the law's explanatory note was stated this was "a ban on assigning geographic objects names that glorify, perpetuate, promote, or symbolize the occupying state."^[5]

^ Populated place (Населений пункт). The Great Ukrainian Encyclopedia.
^ (Лист-роз’яснення Міністерства юстиції України від 27.01.2016 № 27/13/32-16 «Щодо права на вчинення нотаріальних дій посадовими особами органу місцевого самоврядування в населених пунктах, які мають статус селищ міського типу у зв’язку із внесенням змін до статті 37 Закону України «Про нотаріат»). Ministry of Justice. 27 January 2016
^ Poroshenko signed the laws about decomunization. Ukrayinska Pravda. 15 May 2015
Poroshenko signs laws on denouncing Communist, Nazi regimes, Interfax-Ukraine. 15 May 20
Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols, BBC News (14 April 2015)
^ "Geographical names associated with Russia have been banned in Ukraine". Lb.ua [uk] (in Ukrainian). 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
^ "Geographical names associated with Russia have been banned in Ukraine". Lb.ua [uk] (in Ukrainian). 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.

[1] Populated place (Населений пункт). The Great Ukrainian Encyclopedia.

[2] (Лист-роз’яснення Міністерства юстиції України від 27.01.2016 № 27/13/32-16 «Щодо права на вчинення нотаріальних дій посадовими особами органу місцевого самоврядування в населених пунктах, які мають статус селищ міського типу у зв’язку із внесенням змін до статті 37 Закону України «Про нотаріат»). Ministry of Justice. 27 January 2016

[3] Poroshenko signed the laws about decomunization. Ukrayinska Pravda. 15 May 2015
Poroshenko signs laws on denouncing Communist, Nazi regimes, Interfax-Ukraine. 15 May 20
Goodbye, Lenin: Ukraine moves to ban communist symbols, BBC News (14 April 2015)

[DecoUkr549538DR-4] "Geographical names associated with Russia have been banned in Ukraine". Lb.ua [uk] (in Ukrainian). 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.

[DecoUkr549538-5] "Geographical names associated with Russia have been banned in Ukraine". Lb.ua [uk] (in Ukrainian). 22 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.

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