The square near the U.S. Embassy in Moscow will be renamed after the Ukrainian city of Donetsk following a vote by citizens of the city in an apparent show of support for the invasion of Ukraine.

"Muscovites have chosen a name for a square in the Presnensky district. The largest number of votes — 44.69% — was cast for Donetsk People's Republic Square. According to the terms of the poll, another square or street will be proposed to be named for the Lugansk People's Republic," Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said in a statement, according to the news agency Tass.

The square, which was previously unnamed, is situated at the intersection of Konyushkovskaya Street and Bolshoi Devyatinsky Pereulok, which is near the American Embassy.

Among other names voted on were "Defenders of Donbas Square," referring to the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, and "Hero of Russia Vladimir Artyomovich Zhoga Square," after a Russian-Ukrainian separatist who died in March towards the beginning of the invasion.

The U.S. Embassy previously said in a statement, which was issued before the vote took place, that it was "surprised but not offended by the Russian government's proposal to rename a part of downtown Moscow near the U.S. Embassy 'Defenders of Donbas Square,' presumably in honour of Ukrainian soldiers bravely defending their homeland from Kremlin aggression. The country should know its heroes."

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