Mezhyhirya state park-monument was officially opened in Kyiv Oblast. As part of the official opening of the Mezhihirya state park, the start of the first autumn tourist season was announced. The event began with the raising of the national flag of Ukraine and the flag of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural Resources.
Minister of the Cabinet of Ministers Oleg Nemchinov recalled the events of 2021, when the Interdepartmental Working Group first visited “Mezhihirya” on behalf of the Prime Minister. As a result of the joint efforts of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), the State Property Fund, the Agency for Investigation and Asset Management (ARMA) and the Verkhovna Rada, which adopted a special draft law signed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyi, as well as thanks to judicial decisions that confirmed the state’s right to certain real estate managed to achieve the current result – the opening of a state park-monument.
Nemchinov noted that the park will be used for socialization and adaptation of veterans, and will also become an important place for rest of Kyiv residents and guests of the capital. Minister of Environment Protection and Natural Resources Ruslan Strelets added that in July 2024, one of the main stages of the nationalization of “Mezhihirya” was completed, and since then the park has been officially open to visitors.
44 days have passed since the official opening of the park, and during this time it was visited by more than 35,000 people, including more than 1,500 combatants, for whom admission was free. Also, 750 families took advantage of special offers for large families and orphans.
Acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy Rostislav Karandeev emphasized the cultural significance of the park, noting that “Mezhyhirya” is connected with the history of Ukrainian Orthodoxy and has a historical connection with the Transfiguration Monastery, founded in the 10th century . On the territory of the park there were also objects of the creative sphere, in particular, a factory for the production of earthenware products.
The head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Environmental Policy and Nature Management Oleg Bondarenko emphasized that the park should become an example for other similar objects. As part of the events, the start of the first All-Ukrainian park run “Mezhyhirya-Sport: “Defeating yourself” was announced. In addition, visitors had the opportunity to get acquainted with the exhibition “Mezhyhirya – a portal of the thousand-year history of Ukraine”, which was organized by the Museum of Ancient Russian Pottery.
As previously reported, in May, the seized property of ex-president Viktor Yanukovych’s former residence “Mezhyhirya” was transferred to the Agency for Search and Asset Management (ARMA). In 2023, the Verkhovna Rada passed a law that returned “Mezhyhirya” to state ownership and created a new object of the nature reserve fund with an area of 138.6 hectares.
The “Mezhyhirya” residence, built in 2012, became a national park and museum of corruption after Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia in 2014, under the management of the public organization “NPU Mezhihirya”. In August 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court began considering the case regarding the illegal possession of the residence by Yanukovych and his son.
