Ukraine to Showcase Symon Petliura’s Personal Belongings Preserved in the Diaspora for Over 100 Years
The exhibition draws on over 200 artifacts from the collection of the Military History Museum and Archive of the Ukrainian Free Academy of Arts and Sciences (UVAN) in Canada. The Ukrainian diaspora preserved them for decades with the intention of returning them to Ukraine after the restoration of independence. In accordance with the “Testament” of the Military Museum’s founders, the collection was transferred to the National Museum of the History of Ukraine. The return of this heritage has become a historic event — it is not merely about museum objects, but about restoring the wholeness of Ukrainian memory.
The exhibition presents over 200 artifacts from this collection, illustrating the course of the liberation struggle of the first quarter of the 20th century. These are personal belongings of prominent military and political figures of the Ukrainian Revolution of 1917–1921, including:
- a “Corona” typewriter that belonged to Symon Petliura;
- an officer’s bayonet of Major General of the UNR Army Volodymyr Salsky;
- uniform details of Yevhen Konovalets and Andriy Melnyk.
A special place in the exhibition is held by the battle standards of the UNR Army, such as the regimental banner of the 2nd Uman Regiment of Mounted Zaporozhians “To the Death for Ukraine,” as well as military decorations, riflemen’s postcards, original photographs of the UNR Army, and more. Of particular note is the collection of works by Mykola Bytynsky — a renowned heraldist, graphic artist, painter, poet, scholar, and author of memoirs about the liberation struggle. The exhibition features an extensive selection of his works on heraldry, military decoration design, Ukrainian military uniforms, military seals, and much more.
Most of the exhibits are being shown in independent Ukraine for the first time.
Event Participants
Olena Zemlyana, Director General of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine; Bohdan Patrilyak, curator of the exhibition “PATH OF HEROES. In Memory of Symon Petliura”; Artem Mykolaichuk, Chair of the Board of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation; Yaryna Yasynievych, Program Director of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation.
Today, Ukrainians are defending their independence in armed struggle against the same enemy as 100 years ago. The exhibition “PATH OF HEROES. In Memory of Symon Petliura” demonstrates the continuity of this struggle and carries profound symbolic meaning for the heirs of Symon Petliura’s cause and all those who fought for Ukraine’s independence.
With the support of the Pylyp Orlyk Foundation, the exhibition space on the second floor of the museum has been renovated and equipped, and the permanent exhibition “PATH OF HEROES. In Memory of Symon Petliura” has been created.
The exhibition opens on May 26, 2026, at 2 Volodymyrska Street, Kyiv.
