​Public Discussion of the Cultural and Artistic Project “Place of Resistance: Infrastructure Projects of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works”

On 15 August 2025, Professor Sergiy Posokhov, Head of the Department of Historiography, Source Studies, and Archaeology, and Olha Vovk, Lecturer at the same department and Deputy Director of the P. T. Tronko Center for Ukrainian Studies and Local History at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University, took part in the public discussion of the cultural and artistic project “Place of Resistance: Infrastructure Projects of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works.” The project is being implemented by the Central State Scientific and Technical Archives of Ukraine (CSSTA) in cooperation with partners and with the support of the Ukrainian Cultural Foundation. The event took place at the Kharkiv Diplomatic Club.

One of the aims of the project is to enhance young people’s engagement in studying history and preserving historical and cultural heritage, in particular through the use of archival and library resources. The symbolic significance of Azovstal - as both an industrial giant and a heroic chapter in the Russo-Ukrainian war - is of great importance for shaping an active civic position among Ukrainians who will build the country’s future, as well as for fostering patriotism and a respectful attitude toward the memory of fallen heroes.

The discussion focused on the educational and civic potential of the project, especially its capacity to foster critical thinking, national consciousness, and a deeper understanding of the history of Ukrainian industry as part of cultural heritage through innovative multimedia formats. Following the event, a roadmap will be developed to define a series of activities involving student audiences.

The project’s partners include the Central State Audiovisual and Electronic Archives, the Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, the V. H. Korolenko Kharkiv State Scientific Library, and the press office of the Metinvest group.

Speakers at the event included: Anatolii Khromov, Head of the State Archival Service of Ukraine; Marat Balychev, Director of the Central State Scientific and Technical Archives of Ukraine; Olha Vovk, Deputy Director of the P. T. Tronko Center for Ukrainian Studies and Local History at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University; Maryna Paliienko, Head of the Department of Archival Studies and Special Historical Disciplines at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv; Nataliia Petrenko, Director of the V. H. Korolenko Kharkiv State Scientific Library; Serhii Posokhov, Head of the Department of Historiography, Source Studies, and Archaeology at V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University; Alla Prylutska, Head of the Department of Documentation Studies and Ukrainian Language at the National Aerospace University “Kharkiv Aviation Institute”; Halyna Salata, Professor at the Department of Information Activity and Public Relations at the Kyiv National University of Culture and Arts; Olena Tveritnykova, Head of the Department of Ukrainian Studies, Cultural Studies, and History of Science at the National Technical University “Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute”; and Eduard Khriapin, Head of the Department of History, Archaeology, and Humanities at the Kharkiv Humanitarian-Pedagogical Academy of the Kharkiv Regional Council. The moderator of the event was Leonid Marushchak, Head of the NGO “Museum Open for Repairs.”