November 11 in the history of Mykolaiv and the Korabelnyi district brought together the founding of the city library, the fate of a legendary ship, the return of buses to the Ocean shipyard, new shipbuilding contracts, and the fight over the future of the Olvia port. On this day, the city lost its defenders and civilians, but also witnessed the liberation of neighboring Kherson.
1881: the founding date of the first public library differs by one day across sources
The Mykolaiv Regional Universal Scientific Library marks November 11, 1881 as the date when the charter of the city’s first public library was approved. Among the initiators were Mykhailo Parizo de la Valette and Admiral Mykhailo Manganari. However, archival documents give the date as October 29, 1881, Old Style, which converts to November 10, not the 11th, under the calendar change. Thus, November 11 is the library’s established commemorative date, although the sources differ by one day.
November 11, 1918: residents were required to pay for Mykolaiv’s security
Mykolaiv mayor Eduard de Bondi sent resident Skhalastyna Khrystianivna Kun a demand to pay 1,000 rubles toward maintaining the city guard and to provide a bank receipt. The document, dated November 11, 1918, has been preserved in historical records; the relevant decision had been adopted by the city council on November 7.
November 11, 1987: the ship “Nikolaev” returned to its home shipyard
The large anti-submarine ship “Nikolaev,” built at the 61 Communards shipyard, was put into dock for repairs and modernization in Mykolaiv. It was launched on December 19, 1969, but the planned work was later halted. On October 29, 1992, the ship was decommissioned from the navy and later sent for scrap.
November 11, 2013: the zoo was saved from starvation
Mykolaiv Zoo director Volodymyr Topchii announced that the Treasury had released funds for animal feed. Earlier, after a delay in the payment of 450,000 hryvnias, he had warned that some animals might have to be slaughtered to feed the others. On November 11, the director assured the public this would not happen.
November 11, 2014: large buses returned to Ocean for 2 hryvnias
Large buses resumed service in Mykolaiv on route No. 83, between the Ocean shipyard and Namyv. The carrier planned to operate 4 articulated buses, each with a capacity of 160 passengers, as well as 4 express buses. A ticket cost 2 hryvnias, and pensioners rode for free. Minibus drivers protested the return of the larger vehicles.
November 11, 2015: a 23-year-old pilot from the Mykolaiv air brigade was killed
A Su-25 attack aircraft belonging to the 299th Tactical Aviation Brigade crashed during a training flight in Zaporizhzhia region. 23-year-old Senior Lieutenant Yehor Bolshakov was killed. Later, on November 17, a farewell ceremony for him was held at Kulbakine airfield in Mykolaiv.
November 11, 2016: a Mykolaiv volunteer was killed at the front
Andrii Podlypniuk, a native of Mykolaiv who went by the call sign “Druh Mamai,” was killed near Debaltseve by mortar fire. He served with the “Wolves of the Right Sector” unit, part of the 54th Separate Mechanized Brigade. His fellow soldiers remembered him as an experienced and level-headed serviceman.
November 11, 2019: Ocean returned to building ships for Europe
It was reported that the Ocean shipyard had ordered 1,200 tonnes of Ukrainian shipbuilding steel: 900 tonnes for 2 barges, each 79 meters long, for the Dutch client Eurobulk, with the remainder intended for the modernization of a dry cargo vessel. At the time, these were contracts and plans. Later, in April 2020, the shipyard announced that the completed barges had been sent to Rotterdam.
November 11, 2020: the government approved Vitalii Kim’s appointment
The Cabinet of Ministers approved Vitalii Kim as a candidate for head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, replacing Oleksandr Stadnik. The candidate promised to focus on tax revenues, decentralization, and industry. This was the government’s approval of his candidacy, not the presidential appointment itself.
November 11, 2021: the Olvia director submitted his resignation
Ruslan Oliinyk, head of the state-owned Olvia stevedoring company, announced that he had submitted a request to leave his position early, effective December 1, 2021, and planned to work for QTerminals. This was a major personnel change ahead of the transfer of the port’s assets under a concession; the transfer itself was finalized on December 1.
November 11, 2022: a Russian missile killed seven Mykolaiv residents
Overnight, a Russian missile struck a five-story apartment building in Mykolaiv, destroying one entrance. Police reported 7 deaths: 6 people found under the rubble and 1 more who died in hospital. Damage was reported to 5 apartment buildings, 6 private homes, 82 apartments, and 5 cars.
November 11, 2024: a drone killed four people in a home in Korabelnyi
During a nighttime Russian attack on Mykolaiv, a strike drone destroyed a private home in the Korabelnyi district, where two families of brothers lived. 4 residents were killed: 3 women and 1 man. Another 1 person was killed in a second home in the city, bringing the total death toll from the attack to 5; another 1 woman was injured.
On this day in Ukraine and around the world
On November 11, 1918, the Armistice of Compiègne halted hostilities on the Western Front in World War I. On November 11, 2022, Ukrainian forces liberated Kherson from Russian occupation—an especially significant event for neighboring Mykolaiv region.
The date November 11 brings together years of shipbuilding and port development, public solidarity, and the losses suffered by Mykolaiv and the Korabelnyi district. Their history is made up not only of major decisions, but also of human lives.
Previously, we wrote:
- Olvia port in Mykolaiv is being prepared for a relaunch
- A drone destroyed a home in the Korabelnyi district where two families lived
- Mykolaiv residents collected signatures calling for budget funds to be redirected to the Armed Forces of Ukraine
- Seven killed after a nighttime shelling of Mykolaiv
- Olvia director submitted resignation ahead of the concession
