Ukrainian Presidency
- A Ukrainian town renamed a street after Boris Johnson in recognition of the UK’s efforts during the war.
- Locals told British media the prime minister, who recently travelled to Ukraine, was “the absolute bomb.”
- “Boris Johnson’s hair is very cool, and he is a cool person and he has a good soul,” one said.
A small town in southern Ukraine is renaming one of its streets after Boris Johnson, calling the British prime minister a hero in recognition of the UK’s efforts to help fight Russian forces, multiple reports said.
The street in question — described by The Daily Telegraph as “unremarkable” — is in the town of Fontanka, which sits on the outskirts of Odesa, where Ukrainian troops are resisting Russian forces. The street is currently named after Vladimir Mayakovsky, a famous Russian poet and playwright.
Fontanka’s council announced plans to change its name to Boris Johnson Street – or вулиця Бориса Джонсона — according to multiple reports.
“The prime minister of the United Kingdom is one of the most principled opponents of the Russian invasion, a leader in sanctions on Russia and defence support for Ukraine,” The Sun quoted the council as saying.
The decision was taken after Johnson visited Kyiv – something which US President Joe Biden has yet to do – and after the UK sent hundreds of millions of pounds of military and economic aid to Ukraine.
While Johnson is still under pressure domestically, both for the so-called partygate scandal and cost of living, Fontanka locals were rapturous.
“He is a very strong and clever and brave man,” 62-year-old Alex Lerner told The Telegraph. “It is wonderful that this street has been named after him, as it is important for us Ukrainians to know not just our own heroes but those from overseas who helped our country.”
“Winston Churchill too was considered a freak in his day, drinking brandy and smoking cigars all day, and so is Boris Johnson,” Lerner said, according to The Telegraph.
A woman named Raisa Stayanova was also full of praise, saying: “Boris Johnson’s hair is very cool, and he is a cool person and he has a good soul,” per The Telegraph.
The same woman told The Times of London that Johnson was “the absolute bomb.”
“I don’t really follow politics,” she said. “But he is my favourite person in the whole world.”
I don’t know about this birthday party. That seems to be normal human behaviour,” she said, apparently referring to the London Metropolitan Police’s £50 fine for Johnson for attending a birthday party that breached UK COVID-19 lockdown rules at the time.
“But he was the first man who stood with us and helped us in our struggle. He is the best, I tell you, the best, the best, the best.”
On Tuesday, Johnson became the first Western leader to address the Ukrainian parliament since Russian forces invaded, telling politicians “this is Ukraine’s finest hour” as he invoked the UK’s fight to defeat the Nazis in World War II.
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