Human rights and war memorialization centre
The Center is an interdisciplinary unit of the University "Kyiv School of Economics" that conducts academic and applied research and educational, institutional, commemorative, and media projects in human rights, memory culture, transitional justice, and the study of armed conflicts
Mission: Based on analyzing Ukrainian and global wartime and postwar experiences and examples of transitional justice and responsible memorialization, the Center aims to develop solutions and practices—from public policies to concrete projects—to establish a sustainable and just peace in Ukraine. The aim also includes conceptualization and adaptation of successful outcomes for dissemination and implementation by other countries navigating war or post-conflict recovery
The Center’s team
Consists of scholars, legal professionals, researchers, and/or applied experts with backgrounds in transitional justice and memory culture
Key Focus Areas of the Center:
Maintaining Human Rights in Wartime and Post-War Recovery:
War Memorialization:
Research
Documenting the Russia-Ukraine War in 2014–2025: A Systematised Review of Organisations, Initiatives, Projects, and Documentary Works (2026)
This publication presents a systematic overview of the initiatives, projects, and documentary works that have documented the Russian war against Ukraine since 2014. It includes 90 organisations, initiatives and groups and 114 projects and works. Authors analyse the chronological framework, purposes, methods, and tools of documentation, as well as the forms, directions, and principal actors involved in this process. The research team sought not only to collect information about existing initiatives, but also to understand how they relate to and interact with one another; the formats in which documentation is conducted and published; the associations and coalitions active in this field; and to propose an original methodology for classifying the outcomes of documentation.
Authors: Anton Drobovych, Daryna Pidhorna, Maryna Aleksandrovych.
Read the research(NOT) AN EXHIBITION. Does the Former VDNH Have a Place in Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage?
The research project was conducted by the Past / Future / Art Memory Culture Platform and the Human Rights and War Memorialization Centre at Kyiv School of Economics, at the initiative of the National Complex “Expocenter of Ukraine.” The publication examines the history of the Exhibition of People’s Economic Achievements (VDNH), established in Kyiv under the Communist regime; the architectural and artistic heritage of the former VDNH; and initiatives undertaken since Ukraine gained independence to reinterpret the site and reassess its legacy. The authors examine the history of the Kyiv Exhibition in the context of “spaces of happiness” as a feature of totalitarian regimes and discuss approaches adopted in other countries to address their totalitarian pasts. The project also includes a visual study of the Expocenter’s present-day grounds. The research is guided by two central questions: what place does this site occupy in Ukraine’s cultural heritage, and what strategies might the National Complex “Expocenter of Ukraine” adopt to engage with this legacy?
Authors: Oksana Dovhopolova, Anton Drobovych, Viktoriia Mizerna, Kateryna Semeniuk, Dmytro Prutkin, Oleksii Bykov, Lizaveta Herman.
Read the research
Related Pages
Memory and Conflict Studies — the Master’s Program that explores how societies remember the past and how this memory shapes politics, culture, and public life
Within the program, students gain skills in developing memory policies, working with archives and historical sources, and using digital tools.
As a result, students acquire hands-on experience in creating memorial, cultural, or educational projects