Proactive documentation of the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war (2022–2024) by the state archives of Ukraine: support and cooperation with polish partners

Abstract

Abstract. Purpose  – to analyze the activities of state archival institutions of Ukraine during the Russian-Ukrainian war (2022–2024), in particular in solving the urgent tasks of proactive documentation of evidence of war crimes committed by Russian aggressors, which will become part of the National Archival Fond in the future, dissemination of information about the destruction of the national cultural heritage to the general public and clarification of the importance of assistance from Polish partners in solving important issues of preserving the Ukrainian historical and cultural heritage. The scientific novelty of the study lies in a comprehensive analysis of the main activities of the regional state archives of Ukraine during the period of Russian military aggression, including the initiative collection and processing of documents covering the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war (2022–2024), the publication and dissemination of information about the crimes of the aggressor country. The data obtained make it clear that the persistent struggle of Ukrainian archivists on the cultural front for the preservation of the national historical and cultural heritage is actively supported by foreign partners, in particular archival, scientific institutions and public organizations of the Republic of Poland. The research methodology is based on a combination of general scientific (analysis, synthesis, generalization) and special historical (historical and systemic) methods. Conclusions. The role of archives in the preservation of cultural heritage during the Russian-Ukrainian war in protecting cultural property from destruction and damage not only in the Ukrainian but also in the global context is growing. The proactive documentation by the state archives of Ukraine of the events of the Russian-Ukrainian war (2022–2024), evidence of the heroic struggle of the Ukrainian people for independence against Russian aggression, with the aim of creating documentary collections and archival funds that will in the future be part of the National Archival Fond, is extremely important in the context of the formation of national historical memory. An important aspect of the activities of Ukrainian scientists and archivists in this context during 2022–2024 is the scientific and methodological work on the formation of methodological principles for proactive documentation of the events of the war. In the context of the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, the Republic of Poland provides significant support to Ukraine in general and Ukrainian archives in particular. Cooperation between Ukrainian and Polish archival colleagues has gained particular importance, which is carried out in several important areas: providing Ukrainian archives with office equipment and shelving for storing materials; supporting Ukrainian colleagues both in Ukraine and in Poland; digitizing archival collections; training Ukrainian archivists in Polish archives; supporting the position of the State Archival Service of Ukraine in international archival organizations.