UKRAINIAN CULTURAL HERITAGE ABROAD: PROBLEMS OF RESEARCH AND PRESERVATION
Authors:   Institute of History of Ukraine, the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, 4, Mykhailo Hrushevskyi Street, Kyiv, 01001, Ukraine, Katargina Tatiana 
Published: October 2024

The article analyzes the state of preservation of Ukrainian cultural monuments abroad, highlights the priority areas of their research, and identifies the problems associated with their identification and protection. The need to carry out the selection, identification, classification of objects of national cultural heritage in a new way, both in the state and abroad, is emphasized. In this context, studying the preservation of Ukrainian monuments of history and culture in foreign countries has scientific and practical significance. At the same time, it is necessary to single out a number of problems related to the preservation of authentic Ukrainian monuments on the territory of other states. Among them, we should highlight first of all the general ones, which relate to the development of socio-economic relations in the diaspora. They should include the problems caused by the curtailment of cultural and educational programs in the conditions of spreading trends of globalization and the world economic crisis. There is a decline in the activity of the Ukrainian diaspora itself, associated with the process of assimilation and, as a result, a reduction in the number of Ukrainian-speaking representatives of the diaspora. To this should be added the declining number of direct immigrants from the metropolis who are active in politics, education, and culture. In addition to general problems, a number of issues related to the appreciation and preservation of Ukrainian historical and cultural monuments abroad are highlighted and need to be resolved: - the territorial placement of monuments on the territory of other countries is subject to the adopted national legislation in the field of preservation of cultural heritage. At the same time, each of the countries takes care of the preservation of the national cultural heritage, and it is necessary to attract a significant information resource, so that the monuments related to the history and culture of the Ukrainian people abroad receive proper protection; - chronological boundaries are accepted in foreign countries (from 25 to 75 years), according to which the specified object acquires the status of a historical monument. Therefore, a certain number of objects that are considered monuments for Ukrainians, but do not fall under the definition of monuments, may be destroyed for purely utilitarian reasons as a result of new construction; - financial problems associated with maintaining memorial objects in proper condition during repair and restoration works in sacred buildings, preservation of Ukrainian necropolises and burials in cemeteries. In the process of building an independent Ukrainian state, it is important to establish contacts and create the necessary conditions for the unification of Ukrainians in the modern world. Therefore, the development of methods for preserving monuments in Ukraine and strengthening integration processes in the field of cultural heritage protection involves the active introduction of modern mechanisms for managing these activities. The development of methods for involving civil society in the preservation of cultural heritage abroad will help to strengthen the importance of public institutions in making positive changes in the field of culture.