Ukraine battlefield museum moves to ‘decolonise’ history

Poltava museum navigates decolonization amid Russian invasion, revising narratives of 18th-century battle and Ukrainian history.

The quiet and echoing rooms of the museum in Poltava, dedicated to an 18th-century battle in central Ukraine, belie a struggle in the war-torn country on how far to go in recasting Russia’s role in history.

The Russian invasion has seen Ukraine step up sweeping “de-colonisation” measures, including the removal of symbols of tsarist and Soviet domination.

Kyiv’s efforts to remove Soviet monuments began in 2014 when Russian forces annexed Crimea. But new laws passed in the second year of Russia’s full-scale invasion seek to go further, forcing the museum to respond to claims it has not revised Kremlin-supported narratives enough.

“Over more than 300 years, a complex myth has been created around the Battle of Poltava,” said Lyudmyla Shendryk, a guide who has worked at the museum for over 40 years.

Poltava was the scene of a decisive 1709 battle when Russian Tsar Peter the Great defeated Sweden’s Charles XII. The Swedish king was allied with Ukrainian Cossack leader Ivan Mazepa, long depicted by Russia as a traitor.

In 2024, Ukrainska Pravda accused the museum of glorifying “Russian arms” and downplaying a 1708 Russian massacre in Baturyn. A Peter the Great statue was taken down in 2024.

Museum guide Lyudmyla Shendryk said, “We must be brave, not remain silent or close our eyes to the complex or disagreeable pages in our history.”