Five years of sculptor Mykola Rapai's work, 18 years on the street — and a few hours of dismantling. The monument to Mikhail Bulgakov on Andriyivsky Descent was removed in early 2025, although the Kyiv City Council voted for this on December 19, 2024, and the first calls for dismantling were heard in April 2022.
Three years and no custodian found
It is telling that the final push for dismantling came not so much from ideology as from bureaucratic deadlock. As Kyiv City Council deputy Viktoriia Mukha explained, no custodian for the monument was ever found — and for this reason the sculpture was handed over to Rapai's heir, who herself expressed a desire to take her father's work. The monument was loaded onto transport, first protected with bags of sand.
In spring 2024, experts from the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory officially recognized Bulgakov as a Ukrainophobe and an "imperialist in his worldview" — this became the formal basis for the Kyiv City Council's decision in December of the same year.
First in the world — now in private hands
Erected in October 2007, this monument was the first monument to Bulgakov in the world. Architect Viacheslav Dormidontov and sculptor Rapai created it near the house where the writer spent his childhood and youth — and where a literary memorial museum has operated since 1991.
"We don't know where you want to steal money from, but we would steal" — such were the sentiments online surrounding the decision to dismantle. The discussion divided the city: some considered it a belated step against cultural colonialism, others saw it as a blow to the historical landscape.
Hmarochos.kiev.ua, December 2024
What's next for building No. 13
The museum on Andriyivsky Descent, 13 — known as the "House of Turbins" — remains open for now. The institution's staff has been initiating public discussion "What should the renovated museum be like?" since the beginning of the full-scale invasion and conducted a series of round tables with historians and cultural experts. The Institute of National Memory recommended closing the facility, but a decision has yet to be made.
A separate issue — the Bulgakov memorial plaque on the building's facade remains in place: specialists fear that dismantling could damage the historic building due to the peculiarities of how it is attached.
- The monument was erected in 2007 — the first monument to Bulgakov in the world
- The decision to dismantle was postponed for almost 4 years — since April 2022
- The sculpture was handed over to Rapai's daughter because no custodian was found
- The memorial plaque on the facade remains — due to risk of damaging the building
- The museum in the "House of Turbins" is operating, but its format is in question
If Kyiv eventually closes or repurposes the museum at Andriyivsky Descent, 13 — will the building itself be preserved as a cultural monument, or will it become yet another commercial space on a tourist street?
