On 24 October 2025, Hryhorii Skovoroda University in Pereiaslav officially inaugurated the Educational and Research Center for European History Studies – the first institution of its kind in Ukraine, established in partnership with the Council of Europe’s Observatory on History Teaching in Europe (OHTE).
The Center is designed to promote the development of history education, the dissemination of European standards in history teaching, and the counteraction of historical manipulation.
The opening ceremony was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, the Council of Europe’s Observatory on History Teaching in Europe, the “Ukraine Twinning” project, as well as scholars from leading universities of Kyiv, Nizhyn, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and the relocated Mariupol State University.
Vitalii Kotsur, Rector of the University, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Professor, emphasized that the establishment of the Center is an important step toward forming a shared European vision of Ukrainian history:
«We must clearly realize our place in Europe. The Center will become a platform for joint research and professional dialogue uniting universities and scholars around the values of truth and dignity».
Volodymyr Tylishchak, Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, underlined that the new Center responds to the challenges of the information war: «We are fighting not only for territories but also for truth. The Center’s mission is to restore the authentic history of Ukraine, cleansing it from imperial distortions and imposed narratives».
Volodymyr Tylishchak, Deputy Director of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, underlined that the new Center responds to the challenges of the information war:
«We are fighting not only for territories but also for truth. The Center’s mission is to restore the authentic history of Ukraine, cleansing it from imperial distortions and imposed narratives» Serhii Shkabko, Ukraine’s National Coordinator at the Observatory on History Teaching in Europe, noted that the opening of the Center in Pereiaslav exemplifies the rapid implementation of international agreements.
Oleksandr Smyrnov, Director of the Ukraine Twinning project, highlighted the support provided by British universities in developing such initiatives. The discussion also featured leading scholars – Yurii Nikolaiets, Head of the Department of Political Culture and Ideology at the Kuras Institute of Political and Ethno-National Studies of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, and Oleksandr Udod, Head of the Department of Ukrainian Historiography at the Institute of History of Ukraine, NAS of Ukraine. They stressed the need for inter-institutional cooperation, modernization of history education content, and the strengthening of Ukraine’s scholarly presence in the European context. The newly established Center in Pereiaslav is set to become a hub for research, public discussions, and international educational initiatives that will facilitate the integration of Ukrainian historical scholarship into the broader European academic landscape.
