The prosecutor's office is demanding the return of the former October Palace buildings to the state through court proceedings
Kyiv • UNN
The Kyiv prosecutor's office has appealed to the court regarding the return of the International Center of Culture and Arts to state ownership. The Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine registered ownership of the building, despite the privatization ban.
The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office has filed a lawsuit with the court to return the building of the International Center of Culture and Arts (formerly known as the October Palace), a national monument, to state ownership. In recent years, it has been used as one of the country's main concert halls. This was reported by the prosecutor's office press service, writes UNN.
Details
The former October Palace was built in 1838-1842 according to the design of architect Vikentiy Beretti. The building was erected as a building for the Kyiv Institute for Noble Maidens. Subsequently, various state institutions operated there.
The palace walls witnessed the executions of Ukrainian intellectuals by NKVD representatives - Kost Bureviy, Oleksa Blyzko, Hryhoriy Kosynka, Taras and Ivan Krushelnytsky, Dmytro Falkivsky. During World War II, the premises were used by the German Gestapo
In Soviet times - in 1979, the building acquired the status of a national monument. Prominent cultural figures performed here.
The palace building is included in the Law "On the List of Cultural Heritage Monuments Not Subject to Privatization", and therefore the October Palace can be exclusively state property. The legislative ban on the privatization of this monument is still in force.
Despite the ban on alienation, the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine registered ownership of the building. In addition, despite its special protected status, the Federation of Trade Unions did not take measures to preserve the object.
It is noted that the protection agreement for the monument was concluded only in 2025 in execution of a court decision adopted on the prosecutor's claim. Therefore, the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office appealed to the Commercial Court of Kyiv with a lawsuit to return the building to the state represented by the State Property Fund.
The Commercial Court of Kyiv opened proceedings on the prosecutor's claim and the case was scheduled for consideration.