Kot S. The Return and Restitution of Cultural Property in the Political and Cultural Life of Ukraine During the 20th and Early 21st Centuries

The historical path to independence and national statehood, freedom, and democracy of the Ukrainian people included numerous tragic losses. Among the most painful has been the loss of countless cultural artifacts. During its bitter period of statelessness, an unchecked stream of priceless national treasures was channelled out of Ukraine and dispersed throughout the world, disappearing without a trace and being plundered in the most barbaric manner as a consequence of the many wars that were waged on its territory. The scale of the losses is so significant that they may be compared with a humanitarian catastrophe whose effects become ever more acute with each passing year and decade. These losses are irreparable, with no expiry date; to paraphrase the exalted words of a well-known writer, they are as "ashes heaping upon the heart" of every Ukrainian. The tragic fate of many unique cultural treasures of Ukraine speaks to the need to research it in depth, in order to provide scientific justification for establishing arrangements to repatriate the numerous national relics that are outside Ukraine's borders.