A columbarium with 228 niches is planned for construction in Mykolaiv’s Korabelnyi district

At the Balabanivka Cemetery in Mykolaiv’s Korabelnyi District, the city plans to build a columbarium with 228 niches for urns containing the ashes of the deceased. There is currently no specially designated place for storing urns there, and traditional burials predominate at the cemetery. According to dream.gov.ua.

The project design and construction work are preliminarily estimated to cost more than UAH 4 million. Around UAH 3.6 million of this amount is expected to go directly toward construction. Financial documents allow for funding from Mykolaiv’s development budget, while the city authorities are also seeking a donor through the state DREAM system to cover the costs.

According to the preliminary plan, the structure and the area designated for the project will have the following specifications:

• a wall-shaped columbarium, 2.5 metres high;
• the structure itself will cover approximately 33 square metres;
• the total site area will be 561 square metres.

Landscaping and accessibility for visitors are planned around the columbarium. The plans include:

• paths paved with paving stones;
• planting trees and shrubs;
• installing lighting;
• drainage for rainwater to protect the site from flooding;
• convenient access to the structure for people with disabilities and other visitors with limited mobility.

Information about the planned columbarium is available in the state DREAM system: https://dream.gov.ua/ua/pip/DREAM-UA-290726-DC8ADD7F?fromUri=/community/62614/spp

The city already has experience with this type of construction: a columbarium at the Central City Cemetery has been completed and officially commissioned. It has 156 niches, and the project cost UAH 2.7 million.

Meanwhile, there are no burial plots available in the honorary section of this cemetery, which Mykolaiv residents call Mishkivske. The authorities propose expanding the area by moving the fence.

The director of the Mykolaiv Funeral Services Municipal Enterprise, Serhii Vaseleha, explained that there are only 3 crematoriums operating in Ukraine, so the deceased from Mykolaiv are taken to Odesa for cremation. Back in 2021, Vitalii Kim, head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, expressed the view that a crematorium should be built on the border with Kherson Oblast.

There are 16 registered cemeteries in Mykolaiv. The city budget for 2026 allocates UAH 24.3 million for their maintenance and routine repairs.

Separately, the Land Resources Department has prepared a draft decision for the Mykolaiv City Council on granting a plot of land for permanent use to maintain a cemetery. The site is located near the Starovodopiiske Cemetery on Kazarskoho Street.

We previously reported:

• Burials in Mykolaiv could become more expensive: digging a grave may cost up to UAH 9,942
• A European approach reaches cemeteries: Mykolaiv opens a columbarium costing UAH 2.7 million
• For new construction: City Council takes ownership of land beneath Balabanivka Cemetery
• Mykolaiv to build columbaria at cemeteries and separate sections for fallen Ukrainian defenders
• “Balabanivka Cemetery turned out to have been built over Mykolaiv Alumina Plant utilities,” says head of the “Bureau of Funeral Services”