Ex-head of National Reserve Ostapenko to sue Ministry of Culture

Illustrative photo: planbmedia.io

Maksym Ostapenko, who was dismissed from the position of director of the National Reserve «Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra», decided to appeal the decision of the Ministry of Culture in court. As reported by «Fakty», he consulted with lawyers immediately after learning about his dismissal.

According to the former head of the Reserve, «what happened and how it happened is a complete mockery of the practice of normal relations between a manager and an employer».

"And I will challenge this in court," declared Ostapenko.

He accuses the director of the Department for Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage of the Ministry of Culture, Volodymyr Shornikov, of exceeding his authority. Ostapenko claims that the dismissal order was handed to him by Shornikov on Wednesday evening. Around 8:00 PM, the department director called him and asked to meet urgently. They agreed to meet in a parking lot.

"Outside, in the twilight, he began to lay out documents on the hood of the car, informing me that I was dismissed, without familiarizing me with the materials, without giving me the opportunity to write explanations or express objections. Moreover, his deputy started filming without my permission. What they are doing is a return to the 90s of the last century," the former head of the Lavra Reserve believes.

As reported by then UOJ, earlier the head of the Ministry of Culture, Mykola Tochitsky stated that he dismissed Ostapenko for «the lack of proper struggle against the Moscow spirit» in the lavra. Later, the department explained that the head of the Reserve was dismissed due to a café located in a historical building and unauthorized repair work.

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