Settlements to appear: Ukraine will no longer have urban-type villages

In Ukraine, there will no longer be a classification for “townships of urban type” — they will be replaced by “settlements.”

This change was signed into law by President Volodymyr Zelensky on October 24th.

This pertains to law number 8263, “On the De-Sovietization of the Procedure for Resolving Certain Issues of Administrative-Territorial Arrangement in Ukraine.” The document aims to eliminate the Soviet-era regulations that have been in place since 1981 regarding administrative-territorial matters and establish clear procedures for categorizing populated areas as cities, townships, or villages.

The law also outlines the process for naming and renaming populated areas and defining their boundaries. According to this law, all populated areas with compact construction and a population of over 10,000 will be categorized as cities. Populated areas with dispersed construction and a population of over 5,000 will be termed “settlements.”

The concept of “townships of urban type” is abolished, and the term “settlement” is introduced in its place. All other populated areas will be classified as villages.