On May 21, 2025, the Ministry of Culture was released by Maxim Ostapenko from the post of Director General of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. This decision was another step in a number of scandals around the cultural heritage of Ukraine and caused an acute reaction in both the expert environment and the public.
The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications has released nine reasons for dismissal. Their list includes inefficient management, unsatisfactory state of Lavra objects, the presence of representatives of the UOC -MP in the lower laurel, problems with restoration, "unnatural red" walls at the exhibition about Mazepa, as well as the issue of illegal trade and activities of the coffee shop. Ostapenko himself rejects all the accusations, calling them politically motivated, absurd and part of the discrediting campaign.
According to him, he was offered to "quietly": to issue a vacation with a further transition to a non-existent position. When he refused, the order of release was handed literally on the hood of the car. The document, says Ostapenko, did not even have the signature of the minister.
What does the ministry throw? And as Ostapenko replies
Ostapenko emphasizes that some of the charges are a conscious distortion of facts. For example, he called the accusation of "insufficient confrontation between the Moscow influence" manipulation, since the law prohibiting Moscow religious organizations came into force only the day before his release. Regarding restoration works, it gives examples of projections implemented by a charitable expense, and the lack of state funding is questioned by the ministry itself.
He also called accusations of "red" walls at the exhibition about Mazepa, because red was a typical baroque color, and the exposition itself was implemented at the expense of patrons. The coffee shop, which was put into guilt, was said to be installed at the request of visitors and had only three tables.
Clearing or control?
Ostapenko openly speaks of a systematic "cleansing of the sphere", which, in his opinion, continues in other key cultural institutions. Among the examples are conflicts around the Sofia Kyivska Reserve, the Museum of World War II, Pirogov, and the Maidan Museum.
He considers the situation around self -buildings and plans for the future construction of the Lavra territory. According to him, only during the lease of the Lower Lavra of the UOC -MP only 36 illegal structures were erected. In 2024, according to Ostapenko, the reserve managed to decorate all the land behind him - and this could become a "trigger" for its release, because he openly demanded the cancellation of the current "plan of organization of the territory" in 2013, which allows the construction of laurels with more than 20 objects, including a seven -storey hotel.
Public reaction and consequences
Immediately after the release of Ostapenko, cultural communities intensified. NGO "Coalition of the Culture Culture" announced the collection of signatures for the resignation of Minister Mykola Tochytsky. The indignation was also caused by the fact that, together with the director, several important international projects were curtailed, including a restoration treaty with the Czech Republic for UAH 34 million.
Ostapenko, meanwhile, stated that he was planning to restore the Armed Forces service as soon as he was released. But his fight against corruption in the field of cultural heritage seems to be just beginning.
Ukrainian society needs not only the protection of monuments, but also transparency in their management. And while the officials argue about the "red walls" - someone plans new floors on the Holy Land.
