«Our daily reminder». What will happen to the destroyed RMA building in Mykolaiv?

Three years ago, the Russian army destroyed the building of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. It was a direct hit by a missile that created a large solid hole in the administrative building. The news of this tragedy shook not only the city but the whole country: 36 people died and dozens more were injured.

Since then, the dilapidated RMA building has firmly stood in the city centre. It is the first place that international partners visit during their visits, hundreds of Mykolaiv residents watch these ruins from their own apartments every day, and it is the first object that is visible to anyone entering the city through the Inhulskyi bridge.

All this time, there have been different views on what should happen to this building: demolish it and build a new facility, partially dismantle it and leave it as a reminder of the war, or preserve it and make it a museum.

NikVesti found out what the fate of the destroyed RMA building will be and what Mykolaiv residents think about it.

The tragedy that took the lives of 36 people

The Russian army attacked the building of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration on 29 March 2022. The enemy launched an «Iskander-K» missile from the temporarily occupied Crimea. As a result of the shelling, the central section of the building collapsed from the ninth to the first floor, and it took rescuers almost a week to clear the rubble.

After the search operation was completed, it became known that the tragedy claimed the lives of 36 people who had come to work that morning. These were employees of departments and offices of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, the military and employees of the Mykolaiv Regional Economic Court, which was also located in the destroyed building.

Various sources reported that the number of victims reached up to 38, but this is not true, the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration explained to NikVesti.

Later, law enforcement officers found out that the order to attack the building of the RMA was given by the former commander of the Southern Military District, Russian Army General Oleksandr Dvornikov. He was notified of suspicion in February 2025.

What do Mykolaiv residents think about the future of the destroyed RMA building?

The EMB building is currently fenced off as it is dangerous to approach it due to the threat of collapse. Its expertise was carried out in 2022. The result: the building should be completely demolished, as the structure is unstable. However, the Department of Architecture and Capital Construction of the RMA clarified that only during the dismantling process would it be possible to say for sure whether it would be possible to save at least part of the building.

We decided to ask Mykolaiv residents what they thought about the future of the destroyed building. The majority of the townspeople interviewed believe that in the future the building should be dismantled and something new built in its place.

Friends Liliia and Volodymyr believe that it is inappropriate to touch the building while the war is still ongoing.

«I think it makes no sense to restore the building while the war is still going on. And it is not clear how long it will last,» says the girl.

«I have graduated from Lyceum №2, but I used to come to the school every day and see the state of the administration (the destroyed building of the RMA, — note). But as long as the war is on, there is no point in doing anything about it,» he explained.

In the future, his friends believe that instead of the destroyed building, a memorial should be built to commemorate this tragic event.

Among Mykolaiv residents, there are also those who believe that the building should definitely be demolished and a new administrative building should be built in its place.

« In my opinion, it is better to demolish it. I don't think they will be able to restore it, but it would be great to build a new one,» says a man.

«It's normal (that the destroyed RMA building has not yet been dismantled, — note), because the war is still ongoing. As long as there is no money to restore it or build a new one, it's okay. But it would be nice to build a new one over time. It doesn't have to be a skyscraper, but something new,» says another resident.

Mykolaiv musician and public figure Volodymyr Aleksieiev believes that the building should be dismantled in due course and replaced with something useful for the city .

«It would be great if there was something commemorating this event. Maybe I don't want to say the word «museum», but maybe some kind of commemorative art object that would remind us of this destroyed building. This has happened. It is an integral part of our city, part of the history of our city. This place is located in the heart of our city and I think it's wrong if it remains in this state permanently,» said Volodymyr Aleksieiev.

«We can, of course, preserve all the damaged objects, but in the long run, we want our children to live in a more suitable and cosy place,» added Volodymyr Aleksieiev.

Kateryna Stokolias, a member of the executive committee of the Mykolaiv City Council and a public figure, also supported the demolition of the building. She believes it would be appropriate to erect a monument to those who died in the building and to arrange a green area on the site.

«If I say whether I support the demolition of this building, then yes, I support it. Because this building has no architectural value. It cannot be treated as a monument to the dead either. The building is in such a state of disrepair, so I think it should be demolished.

There is a memorial to the Olshanskyi landing operation, there are strings of memory there. And I think it would be appropriate to extend this memorial and finish it in memory of those who died in this building. Perhaps, we should make a park or a square there,» says Kateryna Stokolias.

According to Yevhen Homoniuk, co-founder of the My Art platform in Mykolaiv, the building should remain in this form until the end of the war.

«This building was one of the first to suffer in this war. During this time, it has already become, one might say, the personification of this war. It has been featured in many international reports, videos, documentaries, and even in some exhibition art projects. Therefore, I think that as long as there is a war going on, this building should be in this form, as a daily reminder of the conditions in which we live. Moreover, a few days ago, I saw a reportage taking place, i.e. some live filming in front of this building by some international journalists. So we don't have to hide anything. On the contrary, this is a demonstration of pain, a demonstration of the aggressor, its capabilities and, in fact, a reminder of who we are fighting,» explained Yevhen Homoniuk.

He believes that if possible, the building could be preserved. Otherwise, a memorial could be erected there to continue the nearby memorials to the Memory Strings and Paratrooper Heroes.

«I think that after the war is over, it is worth conducting a survey to see if it is possible to secure the building. Perhaps it can be preserved as a reminder of all these years of full-scale invasion.

If they decide to dismantle it, I think anything can be there. For example, there is already a memorial in place of the fountain. And there is already a memorial near the Eternal Flame. So I think it will be continued and scaled up. But I think the building is still the best memorial to this war. Without bills, as they say, everything is realistic in fact,» says Yevhen Homoniuk.

Architectural witnesses to war: are there any similar examples in the world?

The General Staff Building in Serbia

There are examples in the world similar to the situation with the destroyed building of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration. One of them is the destroyed General Staff building in Serbia. This is one of the most famous examples of «preserved» architecture that reminds of the consequences of war.

During NATO air strikes in April and May 1999, the building was heavily damaged. It was symbolically important because it represented the military and political power of Yugoslavia. After the bombing, the building was not restored and remained in ruins.

Today, this building is a symbol of the memory of the war and its consequences. It reminds us of the devastating consequences of conflicts and the importance of maintaining peace. It is planned to be reconstructed to preserve its historic appearance and is being considered for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Documentation centre in Germany

We found another similar example in Nuremberg. However, this example is somewhat different from the previous one, as the building was not bombed, but rather not even completed.

This is the unfinished Congress Hall of the Third Reich Party Congresses, which is one of the most symbolic architectural remnants of the Nazi regime. It was preserved in a «conserved» state and turned into a museum and memorial complex — the Documentation Centre — that tells about the causes, consequences, and crimes of the Nazi regime.

The Congress Hall was designed as a building that could accommodate up to 50,000 people. It was supposed to be a venue for Nazi party congresses. But the construction was never completed due to the outbreak of World War II.

And after the war, it was decided to leave the building unfinished so that it could clearly demonstrate the failure of the ideology it represented. Today, this place shows what the cult of power, hatred, and war can lead to.

Will the Mykolaiv RMA building be demolished?

The destroyed building of the Regional Military Administration will be completely dismantled, Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration, told NikVesti. There is no possibility of leaving it even partially, he added.

«The owner of the building is actually the regional council. We have made an examination, and it is impossible to repair it. Legally, experts say that the building is dangerous and must be demolished. No matter what we do, we cannot operate it, not even a part of it. So the plan is to build it. But now it is not the right time, because even demolishing this building is expensive, and there are many places to spend this money,» explained Vitalii Kim.

He explained that after the war is over, they will take into account the opinion of Mykolaiv residents about what should be on this site.

«But the plan is that after the war is over, after our victory, we will ask people how they see it. To be honest, the Danes and I are discussing a plan that they may be ready to turn part of the shipyard (located next to the destroyed building, — note) into a large public space. It will take into account what people say,» says the head of the RMA.

The mayor of Mykolaiv, Oleksandr Sienkevych, shares the same opinion. He believes that when making any decision to build something new on the site of the destroyed RMA building, the opinion of the townspeople should be taken into account.

«This place belongs to the community of Mykolaiv, and it is they who should decide what to do there. When we have an answer to this question, we will be able to understand whether it will be a memorial site, a cultural site, a public space, or another building for public use or any other purpose. That is, we will be able to answer this question when we can interview all Mykolaiv residents. Today, it is a place of pain and it cannot be touched,» says Oleksandr Sienkevych.

According to Vitalii Kim, the head of the RMA, after the building is demolished, this place should remain memorable.

«I think that because people died here, it should be some kind of memorial, but it should be worked out in a complex. We haven't started doing this yet because we don't know when the war will end. I consider this as a whole, together with the memorial to our defenders and the monument that will be built after the war. That is, so that we always remember this,» said Vitalii Kim.

The future of the destroyed building of the Mykolaiv Regional Military Administration is clear and straightforward: it will be completely demolished. But this will not happen until the war is over. The interviewed Mykolaiv residents, city and regional authorities are in solidarity on this issue.

However, what will happen to the site after dismantling remains uncertain. The most common opinions are that there should be a memorial or a new administrative building should be built there. However, this issue will only become clear after the war is over.

Yuliia Boichenko, NikVesti