Ukraine’s Archival Landscape: Remote Access and Research Opportunities

28 August to 20 November 2026

The series opens with a keynote by Prof. Dr. Maryna Paliienko on Ukraine’s archival sector in wartime, situating the central state archives within the country’s broader archival network. The six sessions that follow each spotlight one of Ukraine’s central state archives: their directors introduce their institutions to an international audience, opening up what each archive actually holds, how those holdings are organised, and — crucially for researchers abroad — how much can be consulted without travelling to Ukraine. Speakers also address how their institutions are safeguarding irreplaceable records and keeping the archives running amid the ongoing war. Along the way, sessions cover the practical mechanics of remote research: how to search finding aids, how to submit a copy request that gets answered, and, where relevant, how to pay for one from a foreign account. Every session is moderated by scholars based at universities across Europe and North America, and ends with an open Q&A, with simultaneous Ukrainian–English interpretation throughout.

Practical details:

Dates: every other Friday, 28 August – 20 November 2026 (seven sessions)
Time: 16:00 Kyiv / 15:00 Berlin / 09:00 Bloomington
Format: online via Zoom; free and open to all
Registration: required separately for each session! The registration link for each webinar goes live about a week in advance on our website and in our Facebook group. Registration closes at 23:59 Kyiv the day before each webinar.
Recordings and presentations: published open-access after each webinar

The series will be of particular interest to students, doctoral candidates and scholars in Ukrainian and East European studies, as well as to archivists, librarians and museum professionals interested in working with Ukrainian collections remotely.

Detailed program: 

August 28, 2026.
Opening keynote — Ukrainian archives amid the ongoing war:
– Speaker: Prof. Dr. Maryna Paliienko, Head of the Department of Archival Studies and Special Branches of Historical Science at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv.
– Moderator: Dr. Nataliia Zalietok, Head of the Department for Archival Studies at the Ukrainian Research Institute of Archival Affairs and Records Keeping.
Welcome remarks: 
– Dr. Anatolii Khromov, Head of the State Archival Service of Ukraine.
– Dr. Johannes Nathan, President of Ukraine Art Aid Center e.v.
– Dr. Susann Worschech, Scientific Coordinator of the KIU Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Frankfurt (Oder) – Berlin.
– Prof. Dr. Robert Kindler, Head of the History Department of the Institute for East European Studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

September 11, 2026. Central State Scientific and Technical Archives of Ukraine 
– Speaker: Prof. Dr. Marat Balyshev, Head of the Central State Scientific and Technical Archives of Ukraine.
– Moderator: Dr. Ewa Sułek, art historian, curator, sculptor, and writer.

September 25, 2026. Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine 
– Speaker: Prof. Dr. Larysa Levchenko, Head of the Central State Archives of Supreme Bodies of Power and Government of Ukraine.
– Moderator: Prof. Dr. Robert Kindler, Head of the History Department of the Institute for East European Studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

October 9, 2026. Central State Audiovisual and Electronic Archives 
– Speaker: Dr. Tetiana Yemelianova, Head of the Central State Audiovisual and Electronic Archives.
– Moderator: Prof. Dr. Susanne Strätling, Head of the Department of Culture at the Institute for East European Studies at Freie Universität Berlin.

October 23, 2026. Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv 
– Speaker: Olesia Stefanyk, Head of the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv.
– Moderator: Dr. Clare Griffin, Associate Professor of Russian history in the Department of History and the Robert F. Byrnes Russian and East European Institute, Indiana University Bloomington.

November 6, 2026. Central State Archives of Public Organisations and Ukrainica 
– Speaker: Olha Bazhan, Head of the Central State Archives of Public Organisations and Ukrainica.
– Moderator: Prof. Dr Sarah Phillips, Professor of Anthropology and Coordinator of the IU-Ukraine Nonresidential Scholars Program at Indiana University Bloomington.

November 20, 2026. Central State Archives Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine 
– Speaker: Olena Chyzhova, Head of the Central State Archives Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine.
– Moderator: Jeannette Brabenetz, art historian, curator, and author; coordinator for networking and alumni activities at the KIU Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Frankfurt (Oder)–Berlin.

Full programme and registration:
https://sites.google.com/view/ukraines-archival-landscape
Join the project’s Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2113052672971785

If you have any questions about this webinar series or about taking part in it, please get in touch with the project coordinator:
Dr. Nataliia Zalietok, e-mail:
nataliazaletok@gmail.com

The webinar series
Ukraine’s Archival Landscape: Remote Access and Research Opportunities is organised by the Ukraine Art Aid Center (Berlin), in partnership with Freie Universität Berlin, the KIU – Competence Network Interdisciplinary Ukrainian Studies Frankfurt (Oder) – Berlin and the State Archival Service of Ukraine. The project is part of the Lysiak-Rudnytsky Ukrainian Studies Programme run by the Ukrainian Institute in cooperation with the Cultural Diplomacy Foundation, with financial support from the International Renaissance Foundation and the Mnozhyna Foundation.
We would be grateful if you could circulate this invitation to colleagues and students who may find it useful.