Despite numerous statements by Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko (pictured left), the "Flying Saucer" on Lybidska Street is still not listed in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine. This is unsurprising, as the State Register hasn't been updated since the time of Minister of Culture Yevhen Nyshchuk. However, the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA) also has no official information regarding the "Flying Saucer"'s inclusion in the State Register. This means that if the well-known Kyiv businessman and developer Vagif Aliyev (pictured right) wants to expand the Ocean Mall shopping center by using the unregistered architectural landmark, he will be perfectly capable of doing so.
KV learned of this from a response from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine, and a comment from the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Kyiv City State Administration.
In August 2019, a detailed territorial plan (DTP) in the Gooseevsky district, financed by a firm affiliated with the group of Kyiv-based developer Vagif Aliyev, sparked a major controversy regarding the fate of the "Flying Saucer" on Lybidska Street (180 Antonovycha Street). The DTP's main goal appears to be the completion of the Ocean Mall shopping center, which could destroy the historic building, as KyivVlast reported back in early 2018.
A year later, the Minister of Culture and Information Policy (MCIP), Oleksandr Tkachenko, responded to concerns about the fate of the Flying Saucer. On October 8, 2020, he wrote on his Facebook page that the MCIP expert council had added the building to the "register of architectural and monumental art monuments."
"The Ministry has done everything possible. I'm passing the baton to the Kyiv City State Administration and Vitaliy Klitschko: you need to add the 'plate' to the list of newly identified cultural heritage sites so that we can complete the process of adding it to the State Register of Local Monuments. Why? To protect this beautiful architectural landmark from "accidents." What if someone decides to make way for a shopping mall? You have five days to do it," the Minister of Culture stated.
The minister's words were subsequently confirmed by a press release from the Ministry of Culture dated October 19, 2020, which stated: "On October 7, 2020, the Expert Commission on the Registration of Cultural Heritage Objects decided to recommend adding the building of the Ukrainian Institute of Scientific and Technical Expertise and Information (known as the "Flying Saucer") to the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine as an architectural and monumental art monument of local significance."
On October 8, the day the minister's post was announced, the Kyiv City State Administration website announced that the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage had added the House of the Ukrainian Institute of Scientific and Technical Expertise and Information at 180 Antonovycha Street (the "Flying Saucer" on Lybidska Street) to the list of newly identified cultural heritage sites and sent a corresponding order to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.
Letter from the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage to the Ministry of Culture
"The next step is for the Ministry of Culture to grant the 'plate' monument status and include it in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine. The Department notes that this should happen as soon as possible. After all, the institute building is a striking example of Soviet modernism, designed by architect Florian Yuryev," the Kyiv City State Administration stated in a press release.
On October 20, architect Vitaly Molochko announced on his Facebook page that Alexander Tkachenko had signed Order No. 2202 adding the "Flying Saucer" to the "Register of Cultural Heritage Sites as an architectural and monumental art landmark" with the security designation No. 3000-Sq. And on January 26 of this year, Alexander Tkachenko reported in his column for "Left Bank" that: "...the 'Flying Saucer' on Lybidska Street has been included in the register of architectural and monumental art monuments. Now developers don't have to look at it too closely."
However, the Ministry of Culture's website's "Documents" section doesn't list Tkachenko's order No. 2202 regarding the inclusion of the "Flying Saucer" in any registry. A host of other orders are also missing, which could be explained by the sheer negligence of officials.
On February 24, KyivVlast sent an information request to the Ministry of Culture.
On March 9, the Ministry of Culture essentially duplicated the post of architect Vitaly Molochko, announcing that by order of the Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko No. 2202 of October 20, 2020, the “Flying Saucer” was included in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine under the protection No. 3000-Kv.
But there is no “Flying Saucer” in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine.
Iryna Zolotareva, Communications Advisor for the Kyiv City State Administration's Department of Cultural Heritage Protection, explained to KV that the Ministry of Culture stopped updating the State Register of Immovable Monuments back in 2017. Furthermore, the Ministry of Culture fails to notify local authorities of any decisions regarding cultural heritage sites, creating a complex and ambiguous situation for numerous sites in Kyiv and throughout Ukraine. Specifically, the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection has been waiting six months for a response from the Ministry of Culture regarding the "Flying Saucer."
"This means the 'Flying Saucer' is still listed as a newly discovered cultural heritage site. And if some unscrupulous owner were to carry out any work without proper approval, the Department, lacking official information, can only respond within its authority. Under current legislation, illegal work on a newly discovered cultural heritage site and on a monument are completely different. For newly discovered sites, we can only issue a notice, but we cannot impose financial penalties," explained Irina Zolotareva.
As a reminder, the "Flying Saucer" on Lybidska Street is a second-wave Soviet modernist building, constructed in 1971 according to a design by architects Florian Yuryev and Lev Novikov. A reconstruction project is underway to give the building a new lease of life while preserving its unique architectural character.
Oleksandr Tkachenko, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Humanitarian and Information Policy (Servant of the People faction), was appointed Minister of Culture and Information Policy on June 4, 2020. Prior to him, the Ministry of Culture was headed by Volodymyr Borodyansky (Oleksiy Honcharuk's Cabinet) from September 2, 2019, to March 4, 2020, who is remembered for his draft law on disinformation. Previously, Yevhen Nyshchuk (Volodymyr Groysman's Cabinet) served as Minister of Culture from April 14, 2016, to August 29, 2019.
Since September 7, 2018, the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of the Kyiv City State Administration has been headed by Oleksandr Nikoryak.
Photo: Alexander Tkachenko's Facebook page
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