The animals were threatened with being used as feed, and all shipbuilders with dismissal: the grim pages of November 8

November 8 in the history of Korabelnyi District and Mykolaiv brought together fateful news for shipbuilders, the threat of hunger at the zoo, the opening of an administrative services center, and an unusual discovery at the port of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant. During the full-scale war, this date brought new trials: disrupted water supply, the exposure of a Russian agent, extensive damage to the Kinburn Spit, and strikes on industry.

November 8, 2013: talk of laying off all employees began at the Ocean shipyard

A liquidation commission, established as part of bankruptcy proceedings, was already working at the Mykolaiv Shipbuilding Plant “Ocean.” Volodymyr Smielov, head of the regional shipbuilders’ trade union, warned that all employees could be laid off. At the time, the plant had about 900 workers, and wage arrears were estimated at around 10 million hryvnias. This was a forecast by the trade union, not a report of layoffs that had already taken place.

November 8, 2013: the zoo faced the threat of running out of food

Mykolaiv Zoo Director Volodymyr Topchii announced a critical shortage of money for animal feed. The treasury had withheld 450,000 hryvnias, while suppliers refused to continue providing goods on credit. The director said he had issued an order to slaughter some animals starting November 11 to feed others. The article does not confirm whether this plan was carried out.

November 8, 2018: a branch of the administrative services center opened in Korabelnyi District

A branch of the Administrative Services Center opened on the ground floor of the Korabelnyi District Administration building at 314 Bohoyavlensky Avenue. Residents of this outlying district could now register their place of residence, arrange business documents, and apply for passports for international travel closer to home. The branch was later renovated, and the updated center opened on April 4, 2025.

November 8, 2018: body armor and 1,875 liters of chemicals found at the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant port

During a customs inspection of a vessel flying the flag of the Marshall Islands, which had arrived from Guyana at the Dnipro-Buh Sea Port of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant, customs officers discovered undeclared military helmets and body armor worth 120,000 hryvnias. In another room, they found 1,875 liters of chemicals containing hydrochloric acid, worth 468,800 hryvnias. The goods were seized, and customs officers drew up reports. The newsroom published the story the following day.

November 8, 2019: 12 service apartments allocated to medical and education workers

The executive committee of the Mykolaiv City Council approved the allocation of 12 apartments in a renovated building at 3-h Aivazovskoho Street in Korabelnyi District. Service housing was allocated to doctors, teachers, cultural workers, and municipal employees. The apartments remained the property of the community: the occupancy warrants granted the right to live there, but not ownership.

November 8, 2021: an anti-vaccine rally amid the COVID-19 wave

More than 100 opponents of quarantine restrictions and mandatory vaccination gathered in Mykolaiv’s Soborna Square. One of the organizers was Albert Panchenko, a resident of Korabelnyi District. That same day, rules came into force in Ukraine requiring certain employees who were not vaccinated to be suspended from work. In Mykolaiv Oblast, officials reported 812 new COVID-19 cases and 23 deaths in 24 hours.

November 8, 2022: the SBU reported the detention of a Russian spotter

The Security Service of Ukraine reported that it had exposed a 36-year-old Mykolaiv resident who, according to investigators, had gathered coordinates of military and law enforcement facilities for Russian intelligence services. The occupiers were particularly interested in SBU buildings, which they were planning to target with missile strikes. The suspect was detained while attempting to pass on information, and a court ordered him held in custody.

November 8, 2022: Mykolaiv schoolgirl’s drawing selected for an Ukrposhta stamp

It became known that the design “Separated by War” had won a competition to create a New Year’s postage stamp. Its creator was Valeriia Mykhailova, an 11th-grade student from Mykolaiv who had left Ukraine because of Russian shelling. The drawing evoked Ukrainian families separated by the war and the holidays many had to spend far from their loved ones.

November 8, 2024: General Marchenko announced the end of his military service

General Dmytro Marchenko, a well-known participant in the defense of Mykolaiv, said he had decided to leave military service because of health problems. He called it one of the hardest decisions of his life, thanked the city’s defenders, and announced the creation of a charitable foundation to support the army. The newsroom published the news that same day.

November 8, 2025: more than 1,200 applications concerning damaged homes in Korabelnyi District

The Korabelnyi District Administration published figures on applications under the “eRecovery” program. As of November 7, 2025, the commission had received 1,230 applications and processed 1,092: 475 houses and 617 apartments. Another 138 applications were still being processed. These figures refer to applications reviewed, not to the number of compensation payments already made.

November 8, 2025: Russian Shaheds struck Mykolaiv’s industrial facilities

During the night of November 8, Russian forces attacked Mykolaiv with attack drones. The city’s industrial infrastructure came under fire. Air defenses shot down or suppressed three Shahed-type drones and several decoy drones. According to the regional authorities, no one was injured. That same day, the occupiers shelled the Ochakiv and Kutsurub communities.

This day in Ukraine

On November 8, 2024, the Coordination Headquarters announced the return to Ukraine of the remains of 563 fallen defenders. The return was made possible through the joint efforts of state agencies and the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Forensic examinations and identification of the fallen were still to come.

On November 8, 2025, the company Centrenergo reported that all of its thermal power plants had stopped generating electricity following a massive Russian strike. The company began repair work. It was another blow to the power system, whose condition also affected electricity supplies in Mykolaiv Oblast.

From the threat of losing a shipbuilding plant and the zoo’s shortage of feed to the struggle for water, housing, and safety during the war—this is how November 8 remains in the history of Korabelnyi District and Mykolaiv.

We have written before:

• Food is running out, and people are not allowed to leave: residents trapped on the occupied Kinburn Spit
• Selling does not mean restarting: speculation by the State Property Fund over the privatization of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant?
• Animals at Mykolaiv Zoo could be left without food: procurement payments are the problem
• Mykolaiv considers receiving visitors at administrative services centers in shelters
• Already 1,360 residents of Korabelnyi District have applied for compensation for war-damaged homes