Muscovites arevoting to name a square outside the citys U.S.
embassy in honor of Russias war in Ukraine.Residents will choose from three potential names for the currently untitled square at the intersection of Bolshoy Devyatinsky Lane and Konyushkovskaya Ulitsa, where the U.S.
embassy is located.They are Defenders of Donbas Square, Donetsk Peoples Republic Square and Hero of Russia Vladimir Artyomovich Zhoga Square, in honor of a separatist battalion commander who was killed in combat on March 5.Muscovites, who will vote digitally via Moscow City Halls Active Citizen platform, also have a fourth option: delegating the decision to local officials.The Moscow city administration has received numerous requests from citizens with different names [for the square], so we decided to put the issue to a city-wide vote, Active Citizen said on its website.As a result [of the vote], the city map will be immortalized in memory of the defenders of Donbas from neo-Nazis, it said, referring to Russian President Vladimir Putins claims that the Kremlins invasion of Ukraine would denazify the country.The Active Citizen platform had registered at least 25,000 votes at the time of writing, but did not indicate when voting would close.Moscow City Council petitioned earlier in May to name the small piece of land Defenders of Donbas Square and use it as the U.S.
Embassys address.The U.S.
Embassy in Moscowsaid it was surprised, but not offended by the proposal and offered its own interpretation of the suggested name.Defenders of Donbas Square is presumed to be in honor of Ukrainian soldiers bravely defending their homeland from Kremlin aggression, it said on Telegram on May 19.The proposal mirrors similar changes in European capitals, where streets have beenrenamed in support of Ukraine since Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbor in late February.In 2018, Washington voted torename a square in front of the Russian embassy in the U.S.
capital in honor of slain opposition politician Boris Nemtsov.Russian lawmakers at the time denounced the unveiling of Boris Nemtsov Plaza as offensive, with one offering a counter-proposal to rename the U.S.
Embassys address in Moscow to North American Dead End, 1.