Nikolai Tomenko raises alarm: "The construction mafia and local officials have declared war on restorers."

For some, war is a harsh reality, while for others, it presents an opportunity to seize valuable pieces of historical city centers for the development of restaurants and shopping malls.

This scenario encapsulates the recent events in the cities of our war-torn country, where owners, no longer satisfied with their monthly salaries of 100,000, have decided to covertly further privatize the historical parts of our cities and towns. To ensure that no one interferes with this process, they are also working to dismantle scientific restoration institutes along with their invaluable archives.

Here’s the latest example.

In June 2024, the city authorities of Lviv initiated bankruptcy proceedings against the state enterprise Ukrainian Regional Specialized Scientific Restoration Institute “Ukrzakhidproektrestavratsiya.” This institute possesses one of the largest and uniquely comprehensive scientific-technical archives in Ukraine, containing research, restoration, and accounting documents. It is hoped that the Ministry of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure, which oversees “Ukrzakhidproektrestavratsiya,” will not become an accomplice in the crime of destroying our historical and cultural heritage, but will instead intervene in this matter. It is worth noting that the Ministry of Culture had prepared a letter of support to the aforementioned Ministry back in July 2024. However, there has been no response or state reaction to date.

Let me remind you, this is not the first attempt to obliterate the valuable archives of our historical and cultural heritage. You are surely aware of how Soviet Russia destroyed our archives and documents. The fire on May 24, 1964, at the State Public Library of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR in Kyiv, which resulted in the loss of approximately 500,000 books, manuscripts, and rare printed editions, is just one example.

However, you may not know that during the seizure of the Hospitable Courtyard in 2011, firms affiliated with Yanukovych first organized an arson, and then flooded the premises containing valuable archives, which had been rented by Kyiv restorers from UkrNIIProektrestavratsiya.

Additionally, I would like to draw your attention once again to our proposal for mandatory archaeological excavations on the territory of the Hospitable Courtyard before any future restoration work begins.

(This initiative was supported by prominent archaeologists, historians, and cultural figures and submitted to the Ministry of Culture at my behest).

For reference.

During excavations in the 1970s at Kontraktova Square, a residential and economic complex from the 10th century was discovered, consisting of five wooden structures, including a two-story residential log cabin with a wooden floor and a clay oven. The research conducted at that time also uncovered coins, jewelry, artistic items, and pottery. These archaeological finds and the preservation of objects from the times of Rus-Ukraine provided grounds to refer to them as “KYIV POMPEII.” It is clear that, on orders from Moscow, these works were halted, and construction of the metro line continued.

Therefore, I hope that through our combined efforts, we can PROTECT our HISTORICAL AND CULTURAL HERITAGE as well as the scientific institutions that study, preserve, and restore it.