October 29 left many notable events in the history of Mykolaiv and Korabelnyi District. On this day, the first trolleybuses began operating, shipbuilders helped Ukrainian defenders and contributed to the restoration of a bridge in Donbas, and courts heard high-profile cases. The most painful chapters were the environmental disaster in Shyroka Balka, the pandemic, and Russian aggression. But there was also good news — the return of children abducted during the occupation.
October 29, 1967: Mykolaiv launches its first trolleybuses
At Mykolaiv railway station square, the first 6 trolleybuses, model Kyiv-4, were unveiled at a rally attended by thousands. As the city council confirms, the first line connected the old railway station with a loop near the old city cemetery. By the end of 1967, the fleet had grown to 10 vehicles.
October 29, 2013: nearly 20,000 fans attend the match against Shakhtar
The Central City Stadium in Mykolaiv drew around 20,000 fans for the Round of 16 Ukrainian Cup match between MFC Mykolaiv and Donetsk’s Shakhtar. The stands were packed, and people watched the game standing by the stadium fence. The home team lost 0–3, but the match was one of the city’s biggest-ever football events.
October 29, 2014: Ocean Shipyard provides stoves for Ukrainian checkpoints
Workers at the Ocean Shipyard in Korabelnyi District made and donated metal stoves to help soldiers heat their positions. At the time, there were 8 checkpoints in the Mykolaiv region. Workers from the 61 Communards Shipyard also organized aid. The stoves allowed defenders to keep warm and cook during the cold weather.
October 29, 2015: court overturns decision concerning 79 hectares of the Buh Estuary
News emerged that the Odesa Court of Appeal had overturned Mykolaiv City Council’s permit to prepare documents for leasing 79 hectares of the Buh Estuary seabed, valued at 219 million hryvnias, to the Nika-Tera port. The prosecutor’s office proved that the city council had exceeded its authority by disposing of part of a water body of national importance.
October 29, 2015: three supporters of the “Russian world” from Korabelnyi District remanded in custody
In Mykolaiv, it became known that the appeals court had kept all 3 suspects from Korabelnyi District in custody. Law enforcement officials linked them to support for a terrorist organization. One had previously been placed under house arrest, while another had been granted bail of 250,000 hryvnias. During the arrests in October, the Security Service of Ukraine also seized combat grenades. The pretrial investigation was ongoing at the time.
October 29, 2019: Ocean Shipyard builds structures for a bridge in Donbas
Mykolaiv’s Ocean Shipyard announced that it had completed and shipped steel structures for the restoration of a bridge over the Siverskyi Donets near Stanytsia Luhanska. To meet the deadline, the shipbuilders worked in 3 shifts. The bridge, destroyed in 2015, was an important crossing between the Ukrainian-controlled and occupied parts of the Luhansk region.
October 29, 2020: 47.1 million allocated for a trolleybus line to Korabelnyi District
Mykolaiv City Hall selected the winner of a tender to build a trolleybus line along Bohoyavlenskyi Avenue, from the bus station to Haharina Street. Svitloliuks-Elektromontazh offered to complete the work for 47.1 million hryvnias by December 15, 2021. This was another attempt to provide electric public transport to Korabelnyi District.
October 29, 2021: COVID-19 record — 696 cases and 17 deaths
The Mykolaiv region reported a record 696 new COVID-19 cases in a single day, including 454 in Mykolaiv itself. In the preceding 24 hours, 17 residents of the region had died from complications of the disease. Hospitals were treating 1,639 patients with confirmed COVID-19 or suspected cases. This was one of the region’s most difficult periods of the pandemic.
October 29, 2021: two roads proposed through Balabanivskyi Forest
Mykolaiv Regional Council Chair Hanna Zamazieieva released a plan for freight traffic routes to the ports of Korabelnyi District. Instead of one route through Balabanivskyi Forest, 2 roads were now being discussed, along the routes of the first and second concrete roads. The stated aim was to divert trucks from residential neighborhoods, but whether the plans would be implemented remained uncertain.
October 29, 2022: birds die in Shyroka Balka after estuary pollution
Residents of Shyroka Balka reported an environmental disaster: the Buh Estuary was covered in thick, greasy foam, the water had an unpleasant smell, and waterfowl were dying along the shore. The pollution was caused by sunflower oil leaking from storage tanks damaged by Russian drones during an attack on October 17. According to journalists, thousands of tonnes of oil spilled, some of which reached the estuary through the storm drains.
October 29, 2025: 8 children taken during the occupation return home
8 children from the Novopetrivka boarding school in the Mykolaiv region returned to Ukraine. During the Russian occupation, they were taken first to Anapa and then to Georgia, where they remained for a long time with representatives of the institution. Their return was facilitated by Ukrainian and Georgian government agencies. The Embassy of Ukraine in Georgia reported the event later, but confirmed that it took place on October 29.
October 29, 2025: former lecturer sentenced to 15 years for spying for Russia
News emerged of the conviction of a 47-year-old former employee of a Mykolaiv university who had passed information about Ukraine’s air defense operations to Russian intelligence services. To monitor activity, he had installed a hidden video camera in the attic of an apartment building. The court found him guilty of treason and sentenced him to 15 years in prison, with confiscation of his property.
This day in the world: October 29, 1929
“Black Tuesday,” one of the most infamous days in the history of the Wall Street stock market crash, took place in the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell by nearly 12%. The market turmoil became one of the defining events at the start of the Great Depression.
From the first trolleybus to the return of children from abroad, the history of October 29 recalls the development of Mykolaiv, the work of its shipbuilders, efforts to protect Korabelnyi District, and the hardships its residents have endured.
Previously, we wrote:
- Ocean’s debts, six missiles, and a protest against paving stones: October 28 in Mykolaiv’s history
- A letter from the past, a dry-cargo ship 24 meters longer, and +32°C in autumn: what made October 23 remarkable
- From an aircraft carrier to a trolleybus: what made October 4 memorable in Mykolaiv
- A trolleybus after 30 years, a 2.24-meter cake, and the rebuilt Feodosia: what made September 13 memorable
- Mykolaiv begins developing a bypass road for trucks through Balabanivskyi Forest
