The SBU Archive provided the Czech partners in Ukraine with another part of digitized archival evidence of repressions against Czechs in the Soviet Union. The People’s Commissariat for Internal Affairs (NKVD)-the Committee for State Security (KGB) records will be included into website related to the Kharkiv trial of Czech teachers in 1931.

“Archival cooperation in the study of history of Czechoslovak-Ukrainian relations plays a critical part in the field of cultural diplomacy. Discovering and publishing the archives of the repressive agencies of communist totalitarian regime in the public domain allows Czech and Ukrainian societies to understand each other better. And this is essential for development of strong bilateral relations,” said director of the SBU Archive Andriy Kohut.

During a meeting at the SBU Archive, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Czech Republic in Ukraine Radek Matula and a representative of the Institute for the Study of Totalitarian Regimes in Prague Adam Hradilek announced that the launch of the website related to the Kharkiv trial of Czech teachers in 1931 was planned on June 14, which took place on the 90th anniversary of the Kharkiv trial.

According to Adam Hradilek, the Archive managed to identify and digitize more than 8,000 archival affairs on repressed Czechs and Czech citizens. However, he noted that archival documents about the Czech society in Crimea and certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions are currently not available for scientists due to the occupation.

The Ambassador of the Czech Republic in Ukraine emphasized the importance of bilateral cooperation, which not only strengthens the Czech-Ukrainian dialogue, but also serves as a model for many EU countries and the Eastern Partnership. Radek Matula thanked the director of the SBU Archive for his work and promised to fully support the archival cooperation.