The Ministry of Culture responded to the demand of cultural figures to dismiss the head of the department

The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine responded to an open letter from the Coalition of Cultural Figures to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal demanding the dismissal of the head of the ministry, Mykola Tochytskyi. The Ministry of Culture considers this appeal to be part of an information campaign against the ministry, which is being conducted because the MCSC restricts the development of memorial areas. This was reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

“The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications sees the information campaign, which has been going on for several months, as an order from circles dissatisfied with the ban on the development of historical sites in Kyiv and Ukraine. The letter from the public organization “Coalition of Cultural Figures,” which was distributed on social media and in the media, is part of this campaign. Accusations of helplessness and inefficiency in preserving Ukraine’s cultural heritage and references to individuals in the Ministry responsible for this area indicate the real instigators of this campaign,” — the agency said.

Separately, the Ministry addressed the issue of the dismissal of Maksym Ostapenko, Director General of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy noted that he had performed his duties inefficiently and, in particular, had not facilitated the eviction of monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

“The validity of the personnel decision is evidenced by the fact that during the leadership of the previous director general of the Lavra, representatives of the UOC (MP) were and still are in the Lavra, using at least 25 buildings of the reserve. The change in the leadership of the reserve was positively received by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, as evidenced by public statements. On the other hand, the accusations against the newly appointed acting director look like an attempt to shift responsibility, in particular for the failure to implement the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of December 1, 2022, “On certain aspects of the activities of religious organizations in Ukraine and the application of personal special economic and other restrictive measures (sanctions),” — the Ministry of Culture noted.

Earlier, we reported that the Coalition of Cultural Figures published an open letter to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal demanding the dismissal of Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications Mykola Tochitsky. One of the reasons for this appeal, according to cultural and artistic figures, was the dismissal of Maksym Ostapenko from the post of general director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve.