THE RETURN OF UKRAINIAN CULTURAL TREASURES: A LONG ROAD HOME

Abstract

An analysis of various aspects of the return of Ukrainian cultural treasures has been conducted. The article examines the collaboration between the Borys Grinchenko Kyiv University and the Archive-Museum of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences in the USA in 2009. It demonstrates that archival materials and personal belongings of the Kosach family were transferred from the Funds of the Archive-Museum of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Sciences to the Lesia Ukrainka Research Institute. It is indicated that in 2010, a concept was developed and the initial stage of the “Cultural Treasures of Ukraine” information system was implemented. This system comprised eight registers of cultural treasures: those lost during and as a result of World War II (libraries, museums); those returned to Ukraine; those related to the history of the Ukrainian people located outside Ukraine; those sought nationally; those sought upon requests from other countries; confiscated cultural treasures; objects with permits for temporary export from Ukraine. It is noted that during this period, exhibitions, cultural projects, presentations, and discussions related to the return of Ukrainian cultural treasures were organized. After the cessation of the State Service for Control over the Movement of Cultural Values across the State Border in 2011, the Department for the Control of the Movement of Cultural Values was established within the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. Importantly, despite funding constraints due to an economic crisis, efforts were made to search for cultural treasures and maintain cooperation with the Ukrainian diaspora. Additionally, the article highlights initiatives concerning the return of Scythian gold and the intricate process of repatriating cultural artifacts to Ukraine. The protracted legal battle in this matter is analyzed. Methodological work was also carried out to establish specific norms for conducting expertise on cultural values, leading to the approval of Methodological Recommendations for the State Expertise of Cultural Values by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine in 2019. Notably, contacts with the United States of America and Germany have been of particular importance in the realm of cultural treasures repatriation.