Ministry of Culture (Ukraine)

History

Ukraine (1917–1919)

The origin of the Ukrainian ministry could be traced to the earliest creation of the General Secretariat of Ukraine where a department of culture was created in 1917 within the Secretariat of People's Education headed by Ivan Steshenko. It was created on same principles that existed during the Russian Empire where cultural life in Ukraine was administered by the Russian Ministry of Enlightenment.

In May 1918 the Ukrainian People's Republic established the Ministry of People's Education and Arts headed by Mykola Vasylenko. Later there was a Ministry of Art headed by Dmytro Antonovych (December 1918 - February 1919) that was disbanded soon after the Soviet invasion of Ukraine.

In the 1918 Ukrainian State there existed the Ministry of Confessions that was first created by the government of Pavlo Skoropadskyi on 30 April 1918 and was at first headed by Mykola Vasylenko. After the fall of Skoropadsky the Ministry of Confessions (30 Apri 1918 - 14 December 1918) was transformed into Administration of Cults at first and later into Ministry of Denomination (13 February 1919) both headed by Ivan Lypa. One of the most noticeable ministers however was Ivan Ohiyenko.

Soviet Ukraine

With advancing Bolsheviks in Ukraine, there also was established the People's Commissariat of People's Education that took over most of cultural life in Ukraine.

On 25 February 1919 by its decree, the Council of People's Commissariats of UkrSSR (CPC of UkrSSR) established Cinema Committee within its People's Commissariat of People's Education and registering all electro-theatres in Ukraine. On 19 February 1921 the CPC of UkrSSR issued statement obligating its People's Commissariat of People's Education to use all of artwork for purpose of communist agitation (propaganda). Previously by decree of 14 December 1920, the CPC of UkrSSR established Main Political and Educational Committee within its People's Commissariat of People's Education.

Another decree of CPC of UkrSSR of 11 March 1921 "About purchase for state museums museum valuables from private individuals" initiated creation of state museums which were previously "nationalised" by Bolsheviks "in the name of the Revolution" in form of simple expropriation. Along with that there was established All-Ukrainian Committee in Conservation of artworks, artifacts, and natural landmarks.

On 19 April 1921 CPC of UkrSSR issued decree "About peasants homes" (, selyanski budynky) establishing centers of political education (propaganda) in rural areas.

On 22 November 1922, on efforts of people's commissar Hrynko, the Central Executive Committee of Ukraine adopted its statement "About enacting Code of Laws about People's Education" () which defined the network of cultural and art institutions, their framework of functioning, and mechanisms of administration.

From 1953 to 1991, the Ministry of Culture of the Ukrainian SSR existed.

Ukraine (since 1991)

Following the independence of Ukraine from the Soviet Union Ukraine retained the cultural management structure inherited from the Soviet Union. In 1997, the ministry changed its name to the Ministry of Culture and Arts of Ukraine.

On 9 December 2010 the ministry was renamed to Ministry of Culture and Tourism of Ukraine.

In 2011, the ministry was again reorganized and its tourism functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Infrastructure, and again the ministry regained the name of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

The Honcharuk Government (on 29 August 2019) merged the Ministry of Youth and Sports, established on 28 February 2013, with the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, into the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports. But the succeeding Shmyhal Government undid this merger, separating the Ministry of Youth and Sports into a separate body, and so on 23 March 2020 the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports was renamed the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, joining the Ministry of Information Policy, which operated from 2 December 2014 to 29 August 2019. On 6 September 2024, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy was renamed to Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications. The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications became the main state authority in the system of central government of Ukraine responsible for ensuring the informational sovereignty of Ukraine, in particular regarding the dissemination of socially important information in Ukraine and beyond, as well as ensuring the functioning of state information resources and country's cultural development and history preservation.

In mid-August 2025, the acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Tetyana Berezhna stated that the ministry's strategic communications departments would be transferred into a separate institution in a process that should be completed by the end of 2025. On 21 October 2025, Berezhna was appointed Minister of Culture, with strategic communications departments and responsibilities (such as the United News telethon) being taken out of the ministry's portfolio again. Following the change, the ministry was renamed to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine by the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on 31 October 2025.

Structure

The ministry consists of the central body of ministry headed by its leadership composed of a minister, his/her first deputy, and other deputies in assistance to the minister. Part of ministry is composed of several state administrations that are specialized in certain field and coordinate operations of government companies.

Central body

;Leadership

• Minister
• First Deputy
• Deputies
• Deputy-Chief of Aparat

;Section in support of the Minister's performance

• Sector of informational-analytic work and communication with public

;Sector of control and checks in execution of acts and orders of the President of Ukraine, the Verkhovna Rada, and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine as well as the orders of leadership

;Sector of job-secrecy work

;Sector of mobilization work and public security

;Section of financial revisions and support of measures in the fight with corruption

• Sector for prevention and counter-action of corruption

;Section of human resources and state service

;Directory of legal support

• Section of legal expertise
• Section for the use of legislation
• Sector for conducting a claim work

;Directory of Affairs

• Section for documents support and control
• Section for cooperation with Verkhovna Rada
• Sector for organization of access to the public information

;Department in formation of the state policy in the sphere of culture, art, and education

• Directory of Arts
  • Section of musical art
  • Section of theatrical art
  • Section of monumental, artistic, and folk art
  • Sector of circus art
• Directory for strategical planning of cultural development and regional policy in the sphere of culture
  • Section of analysis and forecasting of activities in learning institutions
  • Section of analysis and forecasting of socio-cultural development of regions
  • Section of analysis and forecasting of libraries activities
  • Others;

State agencies

• State Service of Cinematography
• State Service in control of transportation of cultural valuables over the State Border
• State Service in protection of the National Cultural Heritage
• State Service of Tourism and Resorts

Ministerial institutions and organizations

The ministry also administers a network of museums, libraries, cultural centers, regional centers of folklore, national cultural heritage sites, various artistic education in schools and universities, has own research centers and institutions, promotes circus, musical and theatric arts in regions.

The ministry also maintains the registry of fixed landmarks of cultural heritage (national and local). On 11 December 2012 there were 4,719 such landmarks, 891 of national significance and the other 3,828 of local significance.

Note: while most of the educational state institutions are administered by the Ministry of Education, most arts educational state institutions are administered by the Ministry of Culture.

Ukrainian cultural centers

• Cultural center of Ukraine in Russia
• Ukrainian cultural and information center in Sevastopol
• State agency in promotion of culture of Ukraine

Museums under ministry jurisdiction

• National Art Museum of Ukraine
• Aivazovsky National Art Gallery
• Lviv National Art Gallery
• Lviv National Museum
• Museum of The History of Ukraine in World War II
• National Historical Museum of Ukraine
• National Museum-Preserve "Battle for Kyiv 1943"
• Ukrainian National Chornobyl Museum
• National Museum of Literature of Ukraine
• National Museum of Taras Shevchenko
• National Research Restoration Center of Ukraine
• Directorate of Arts Exhibitions of Ukraine
• National Museum Sanctuary of Ukrainian Pottery
• Memorial to the Holodomor Victims in Ukraine
• Prison on Lontskoho
• Marshal Konev Height
• Historic Museum of Church of the Tithes

Culture and heritage reserves managed by the ministry

• National Historical and Cultural Reserve "Hetman's Capital"
• National Reserve "Khortytsia"
• National Kyiv-Pechersk Historic-Cultural Reserve
• National Reserve "Sophia of Kyiv"
• National Historic-Archeological Reserve "Stone Tomb"
• National Historic-Memorial Reserve "Babyn Yar"
• National Historic-Memorial Reserve "Bykivnia graves"
• National Historic-Cultural Reserve "Kachanivka"
• National Historic-Cultural Reserve "Chyhyryn"
• National Historic-Memorial Reserve "Fields of Berestechko Battle"
• National Historic-Ethnographic Reserve "Pereiaslav"
• National Reserve "Hlukhiv"
• National Reserve "Castles of Ternopil Oblast"
• National Historic-Architectural Reserve "Kamianets"
• Shevchenko National Reserve in Kaniv
• National Architectural-Historic Reserve "Ancient Chernihiv"
• National Reserve "Chersonesos"
• National Reserve "Ancient Halych"

List of ministers of culture

Ukrainian SSR

Post-[[Declaration of Independence of Ukraine|declaration of Ukrainian independence]]

References

References

1. link. (21 October 2025)
2. Kachkovska, Yana. (6 September 2024). "How the name of the Ministry of Culture has changed throughout its existence".
3. [https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2019/08/29/7224810/ New Cabinet formed in Ukraine The Rada appointed the new Cabinet: Avakov and Markarova remained (РАДА ПРИЗНАЧИЛА НОВИЙ КАБМІН: АВАКОВ І МАРКАРОВА ЛИШИЛИСЬ)], [[Ukrayinska Pravda]] (29 August 2019)
4. (7 March 2020). "Ukraine's new Cabinet of Ministers".
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6. (2 December 2014). "Міністр інформаційної політики України". Supreme Council of Ukraine.
7. (2024-09-06). "Про перейменування Міністерства культури та інформаційної політики України і Міністерства розвитку громад, територій та інфраструктури України".
8. (18 August 2025). "Berezhna sets 2025 deadline for culture ministry separation".
9. Herasimova, Herasimova. (21 October 2025). "Rada appoints Berezhna Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture".
10. (31 October 2025). link. Ukrainian National News. wikidata. Q20097095
11. (29 October 2025). link. Official Website of the Parliament of Ukraine]]
12. [https://web.archive.org/web/20150516210657/http://mincult.kmu.gov.ua/mincult/uk/publish/article/294593 State registry of fixed landmarks of Ukraine. Landmarks of national significance]. Ministry of Culture. 11 December 2012
13. Kateryna Slipchenko. [https://zaxid.net/zgadati_vsih_n1332478 "Remember everyone: Who, how and when headed the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine" ("Згадати всіх: Хто, як і коли очолював Міністерство культури України")]. Zaxid.net. 4 December 2014
14. {{in lang. uk [http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2012/12/24/6980337/ ЯНУКОВИЧ ПРИЗНАЧИВ НОВИЙ КАБМІН. І КОРОЛЕВСЬКІЙ ДАЛИ КРІСЛО], [[Ukrayinska Pravda]] (24 December 2012)
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16. [http://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/237576.html Rada supports coalition-proposed government lineup], [[Interfax-Ukraine]] (2 December 2014)
    [http://www.kyivpost.com/content/ukraine/rada-approves-new-cabinet-with-three-former-foreigners-in-it-373861.html Rada approves new Cabinet with three foreigners], [[Kyiv Post]] (2 December 2014)
    {{in lang. uk [http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/12/2/7046214/ Rada voted the new Cabinet], [[Ukrayinska Pravda]] (2 December 2014)
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22. Sitnikova, Iryna. (5 September 2024). "Мінкульт очолив дипломат Микола Точицький. Що про нього відомо?".