The new structure is meant to ensure comprehensive support for the evacuation of museum collections — from risk assessment and determining the priority of items for documentary formalization, to demounting, packing, conservation, and organizing safe storage.
For the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, this is a continuation of systematic work in the field of protecting Ukrainian cultural heritage.
«We are beginning the Center’s work. The priority is frontline regions, but consultations are available to all museums. Openness and coordination with the Ministry of Culture, confidentiality, data security regarding sensitive matters, and feedback are an important point for us», — said Olha Salo during the Center’s presentation.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has already evacuated nearly 750 thousand museum exhibits. However, with the expansion of the combat zone, there is a need for organized relocation of collections.
In July 2026, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved new rules for the evacuation of cultural valuables. In particular, they introduce a mandatory relocation of museum items from territories located within 50 km of the combat line. Evacuated valuables must be placed in safe locations, no closer than 75 km from the combat line.
According to Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna, the creation of the Coordination Center is meant to turn these rules into a practical mechanism for their implementation.
«Since the start of the full-scale invasion, we have had to evacuate 750,000 museum exhibits. Given all the challenges, this figure is truly considerable, but our efforts must become more systematic now that the government has established clear evacuation rules by adopting Resolution No. 229, which obliges us to evacuate valuables from museums located within 50 km of the combat line. To meet and fulfill the conditions and provisions of the Resolution, we need to have the right hands, resources, and a strategy for how to grow. And the presentation of the Coordination Center for the Evacuation of Endangered Collections is, in fact, exactly the kind of practical step our mission is transforming into», — said Tetiana Berezhna.
One of the key tasks of Olha Salo and the Center’s team will be to assist museums throughout the entire evacuation process.
Earlier, the Ministry of Culture conducted an audit of 131 potential storage sites in 10 regions of Ukraine. However, a significant part of these sites requires additional equipping to meet the requirements for the safe storage of museum items. The Center’s activity concerns only institutional museum collections. Private collections do not fall within the scope of its responsibility.
The Coordination Center for the Evacuation of Endangered Collections will operate with the support of the «Partnership for a Strong Ukraine» Program, which is funded by the United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden.
Museums can contact the Center via the hotline +380 77 015 27 55 or through an online application.
