“Sophia of Kyiv defends its leader: Nelya Kukovalska returned to her leadership position
23 June 2025 14:45
The Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Mykola Tochytskyi has signed an order to reappoint Nelia Kukovalska as the director general of the National Conservation Area “St. Sophia of Kyiv,” "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
This was reported by the staff of the reserve on Facebook, congratulating Kukovalska on the extension of her contract. The statement says that over the past eight months, the institution has experienced a series of inspections, administrative pressure from individual representatives of the Ministry of Culture, unfounded accusations, and Kukovalska’s temporary suspension from duty.
The order, dated June 20, 2025, provides for the appointment of Kukovalska from June 24 on a contractual basis – until the winner of the competition is appointed, but not longer than 12 months after the lifting or end of martial law.
The reserve called this decision a “victory of the state and patriotic approach” that was supported by the general public, the expert community, international partners, and Ukrainian defenders.
In recent months, the staff of the reserve has repeatedly publicly defended Nelia Kukovalska, including asking the President of Ukraine to facilitate the extension of her contract. At the same time, the Ministry of Culture announced an ongoing inspection of the reserve’s activities and expressed claims that uncoordinated events, including commercial ones, were being held on its territory.
At the time, Kukovalska herself emphasized that the reserve was a secular research institution and expressed her readiness to hand over the leadership to a person she had been preparing for this role for many years.
