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On Monday, May 20, the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War hosted a roundtable discussion, “War Museum in Time of War: Prospects for the Development of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War,” with the participation of museum and memorialization experts, historians, and government officials.

The discussions focused on visions of what a War Museum should look like in wartime. After all, the modern museum world is rethinking its mission, purpose, and role. With the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine and, subsequently, a full-scale war, we are increasingly rethinking historical events, particularly those of World War II. The National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War has also faced the challenges of today.

Yurii Savchuk, Director General of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, noted that the expert community has discussed the concept of rethinking and redefining the Museum’s goals before.

“All our activities after the full-scale invasion are public. We try to inform as much as possible about our actions and steps. The Museum is engaged in an active dialog with the expert community, as evidenced by today’s roundtable,” Savchuk said. He added that the Museum began the path of change in 2015, and this transformation process is ongoing.

Historian Olena Stiazhkina noted that the Museum’s future vision should emphasize the importance of children’s programs.

“Children might not have had to prepare for war in the past, but now they must. There’s no need to worry that partially this Museum will focus on children, work for children and be presented in a childlike manner. Few people do this because they think, ‘Never again.’ This is the type of presentation we need to see, to be honest, about what our future may look like,” the researcher noted.

In his turn, Vasyl Pavlov, military historian and advisor to the Minister of Veterans Affairs, noted that military history museums around the world serve scientific, cultural, educational, information, and mobilization functions. He emphasized the importance of considering these functions when reimagining the Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.

Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Anton Drobovych, pointed out that the russian-Ukrainian war in 2014 has led to a reevaluation of World War II, including its representation in museum spaces.

“The state has purposefully taken actions to change the visual perception of the war, the language and chronology of speaking about the World War II. All this is for one straightforward reason: to make this public and visual discourse more honest,” Drobovych explained.

The official added that an exclusive view of the events of World War II, which the Soviet Union tried to build, is unacceptable.

Director General Yurii Savchuk summarized the roundtable discussion by thanking the participants for their interest in reimagining the Museum amid the global challenges of the russian-Ukrainian war.