Relevant even a century later

A monument to Mykola Mikhnovsky, a prominent Ukrainian civic, political, state and military figure, has been unveiled in the center of village Turivka, Zgurivka raion, Kyiv oblast. The initiative came from the Union of Ukrainian Nationalists (Statists), whose members say it has taken them over a year to collect enough money to pay such tribute to the memory of a founder of Ukrainian nationalism and mark his 140th birth anniversary in this way. The monument was designed by sculptor Dmytro Chub, and the funds, UAH 20,000, came from NGOs and political organizations.

“Sadly, it is only now that the name of a founder of the Ukrainian army and fighter for Ukraine’s independence is being restored from oblivion,” Pavlo DOROZHYNSKY, head of the union, has told The Day. “I am convinced that to Ukrainians and, above all, the residents of Turivka, where Mikhnovsky was born, this monument will be much more than just another cultural object – a kind of turning point in the question of identification and reconsideration of our history. Even a century later after Mikhnovsky developed his original conception of Ukrainian state building, its key ideas are still relevant for our country. Mikhnovsky is justly called the founder of the ideology of Ukrainian nationalism, because in addition to his active civic and political work, he wrote the programmatic essay ‘Independent Ukraine.’ In a word, Mikhnovsky was and remains to be the embodiment of an entire era of sociopolitical thought in the perception of Ukrainians.”

In addition to the unveiling ceremony, the Turivka school hosted the All-Ukrainian scholarly and practical conference “Mykola Mikhnovsky and modern Ukraine” organized and directed by Professor Anatolii Dotsenko.