In Odesa, the authors of the project for a new monument to Lesia Ukrainka were suspected of plagiarism

The winning design for the Lesya Ukrainka monument. Photo: Odessa City Council press service

In Odessa, the winning design for the Lesya Ukrainka monument has been criticised. Residents of the city claim that it may be plagiarised and have criticised the jury's decision and the closed selection process.

Odesa activist Olena Balaba stated on Facebook that the presented sketch actually replicates a marble sculpture by Soviet artist Halyna Kalchenko.

«This is blatant plagiarism of the work of Soviet sculptor Halyna Kalchenko — even the pose is the same, only the scarf has been messed up. Don't tell me that the organisers of the competition and the 12 distinguished members of the 'competent' jury are completely unfamiliar with art history and had no idea about Kalchenko's sculptures,» she said.

G. Kalchenko. Lesya Ukrainka. Marble. 1970. Photo from the book-album Lesia Ukrainka (published by Soviet School, Kyiv, 1979)

The winning design for the Lesia Ukrainka monument. Photo: Odessa City Council press service In August

According to Olena Balaba, for a figure of global stature such as Lesia Ukrainka, the city should create a modern, powerful and unique image, rather than yet another canonical solution.

It is worth noting that Halyna Kalchenko is the author of the monument on Lesia Ukrainka Square in the Pecherskyi district of Kyiv, which was unveiled in 1973.

Monument to Lesia Ukrainka in Kyiv, sculptor Halyna Kalchenko (1926-1975). Photo from the Internet.

The discussion under the posts gathered dozens of comments. Many users agree that the problem lies not only in possible plagiarism, but also in an outdated approach to monumental art.

The winners of the competition for the best design of the monument to Lesya Ukrainka were announced in Odesa. Photo: press service of the Odesa City Council In August

In particular, Nataliia Deleeva emphasised that the monument to Lesya Ukrainka should not only be large-scale, but also profound in meaning and inspiring, rather than causing conflict. She also stressed the need for open and honest professional discussion.

Some commentators point out the lack of a broad competition and public presentation of projects. Users write that they have not seen any information about the discussion of sketches with experts and the public, and such secrecy only increases distrust of the competition results.

Screenshot of comments under a Facebook post

Some users emphasise that responsibility for the situation lies not only with the author of the sculpture, but also with the expert commission, which should have prevented possible plagiarism from entering the public space.

Screenshot of comments under a Facebook post

Screenshot of comments under a Facebook post

It should be noted that the winners of the competition for the best design proposal for a monument to Lesia Ukrainka with landscaping of the surrounding area were recently announced in Odesa.

The competition was held in one round and lasted until 30 January 2026. Professional architects, sculptors, designers, students of specialised universities, design organisations and author teams were invited to participate. A total of 12 project proposals were submitted to the competition. Based on the results of the selection, first place went to project №201953, created by sculptor Mykola Bilyk and architects Andrii Korstuba, Mariia Matushenko, and Oleksandr Vovk.

It should be noted that in April 2025, the Odessa City Council decided to erect a monument to Lesia Ukrainka, which will become a site of local significance. The monument is planned to be placed in Kosmonavtiv Park on Lesia Ukrainka Avenue (formerly Haharin Avenue) or on Prymorskyi Boulevard instead of the monument to Pushkin.