Webinar recording: Marat Balyshev | Central State Scientific and Technical Archives of Ukraine

 Prof. Marat Balyshev | Central State Scientific and Technical Archives of Ukraine | by Ukraine Art Aid Center e.V.

English https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92s1RUUiSxI / Ukrainian version https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epjdL5UtMaI

Explore the webinar series & register for the next session: https://sites.google.com/view/ukraines-archival-landscape

What stories can technical drawings, scientific records and infrastructure documents tell us about a country – and what happens when the places they document are transformed or destroyed by war? 🇺🇦

On 11 September 2026, the second webinar of “Ukraine’s Archival Landscape: Remote Access and Research Opportunities” welcomed Prof. Dr. Marat Balyshev, Doctor of Historical Sciences and Head of the Central State Scientific and Technical Archives of Ukraine.

Prof. Balyshev offers a fascinating look at an archival world that is often less visible: the records of Ukraine’s scientific, technological and industrial history. He shows how documents created for practical purposes can become powerful historical sources – preserving knowledge about people, places and achievements, and allowing researchers to rediscover stories that might otherwise be lost.

The lecture also addresses the realities of archival work during Russia’s ongoing war and the changing relationship between preservation and access. A particularly striking example is the cultural and artistic project “Site of Resistance: Infrastructure Projects of the Azovstal Metallurgical Plant,” which demonstrates how archival materials can acquire an entirely new significance when the places they document become part of the history of war and resistance.

As Prof. Balyshev notes:

“Today, archivists face the challenge of preserving documents while ensuring their continued accessibility and use, so that they remain understandable to the modern researcher.”