Thanks to the systematic work of the Prosecutor General's Office, which has been representing the interests of the state in courts for over ten years and initiating the cancellation of illegal decisions of local authorities, it was possible to stop the commercial seizure of the territory around the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine in Pirogov and to return dozens of hectares of land to the ownership of the territorial community, including those included in the museum's protection zones.

A feature of this Museum is its open-air location with more than 200 valuable architectural exhibits representing the traditions of different regions of Ukraine. An architectural ensemble requires sufficient free territory for proper visual perception, preservation of spatial integrity, and protection from external influences.

However, back in 2007, the Kyiv City Council, during the term of the then mayor, illegally transferred more than 1.5 thousand hectares of agricultural land to housing and construction cooperatives for residential development, created on the basis of fictitious persons. More than 100 hectares of this land are located within the protection zones of the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine, where, according to the law, any activity that may harm cultural heritage objects, including new construction, is prohibited.

In order to protect the interests of the state, the Prosecutor's Office brought 17 lawsuits to the trial to invalidate the decisions of the Kyiv City Council and return the land. All claims were granted.

In particular, within the framework of one of these lawsuits, the Prosecutor's Office managed to return a plot of land with an area of 108 hectares, which was illegally transferred to the ownership of a housing and construction cooperative. This land used to be used by a business entity, which voluntarily relinquished it back in 2007, ending its contractual relationship with the Kyiv City Council. However, in 2018, the economic operator unjustifiably carried out an unjustified registration of property rights to part of these lands, namely 72.2 hectares near the Museum.

Taking into account that according to the legislation such lands cannot be privately owned, the Prosecutor's Office filed 6 lawsuits in the interests of the state regarding the cancellation of state registration of property rights to these lands.

All the prosecutor's claims were upheld. So far, 5 court decisions have been implemented and more than 56 hectares of land have been returned to the territorial community, and the right to lease the agricultural plant has been canceled. In April 2025, one of the court decisions was overturned by the Court of Appeal; however, on 05 August 2025, the Supreme Court upheld the cassation appeal of the Prosecutor General’s Office and upheld the court's decision to return the 16.5 hectare plot of land to the state.

In addition, the Prosecutor's Office managed to cancel the order of the Ministry of Culture in 2007, by which the security zones of the Museum were unjustifiably reduced from 2 km to 25 m.

At the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office to the court, the said order was canceled, and the Ministry of Culture was obliged to establish the appropriate boundaries and regimes for the use of the protection zones of the Museum in Pirogov. The Ministry voluntarily failed to comply with the court's decision, for which a fine of UAH 5,100 was imposed on it.

This case is an example of consistent and principled protection of the national cultural heritage of Ukraine.

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Protection of unique cultural heritage: The Prosecutor General's Office returns dozens of hectares of land around the Museum in Pirogov to the State