December 16, 2025 at the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv (KNU), a solemn ceremony was held to unveil the restored portrait of Borys Hryhorovych Kurts (1885–1939), a prominent Ukrainian historian, orientalist, and educator who was repressed in 1938.
The ceremony was attended by scholars, lecturers, students, and members of the press.
This event was made possible thanks to the active role of the A.Yu. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies of the NAS of Ukraine in implementing the project to revive the legacy of this legendary researcher of the East.
The return of Kurts' portrait became a symbolic act of restoring one of the brightest scientific figures of the 20th century in Ukrainian academic and public memory. Borys Kurts graduated from St. Volodymyr University in Kyiv with a gold medal for his written work on Russian-Chinese trade. He became the founder of the field of economic history research, and his works remain a valuable source for researchers of trade and diplomatic relations between Europe and Asia in the early modern period.
In addition to his scientific work, Borys Kurts actively taught, including at St. Volodymyr University in Kyiv.
Borys Kurts’ scientific and pedagogical activities were interrupted by Bolshevik repressions. In 1938, he was arrested on fabricated charges of counter-revolutionary activity and erased from official history for many decades. The fate of the scholar and the date of his death remain unknown. Thanks to the research work of Doctor of Philosophy Viktor Kiktenko, materials on Borys Kurts’ biography, information about his works, and the only photo of the scientist were collected and returned from Russian intelligence archives. Based on this photo, with the help of artificial intelligence, the portrait was recreated, which now adorns the gallery of distinguished graduates of Shevchenko University and occupies an honorable place opposite his teacher Mytrofan Dovnar-Zapolsky.
The solemn ceremony was opened by the acting dean of the Faculty of History of Taras Shevchenko National University, Doctor of Historical Sciences Taras Pshenychny, who noted that history is primarily the history of people, so restoring the memory of outstanding Ukrainians lifts the veil on past events and allows us to better understand our own past.
In his speech, the acting director of the A.Yu. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies of the NAS of Ukraine, Doctor of Philosophy Viktor Kiktenko, presented Borys Kurts as one of the architects of modern Ukrainian oriental studies as an independent scientific field. In his opinion, the scholar’s works were not merely historical descriptions of facts but the formation of methodological and theoretical foundations for future generations of researchers. The return of Borys Kurts’ works to scientific circulation is evidence of the Institute of Oriental Studies’ long-standing mission to restore, preserve, and multiply the achievements of Ukrainian oriental studies.
Present at the ceremony, the director of the National Institute for Strategic Studies, Doctor of Philological Sciences Oleksandr Bohomolov, defined the central metaphor of Ukrainian history as a palimpsest, where layers of events, people, and facts have repeatedly been attempted to be erased, rewritten, or banned. The NISS director emphasized that in Ukraine, more than anywhere else in Europe, there are numerous examples of periods, figures, and entire traditions being erased from the official historical narrative. Borys Kurts is one of those cases where a significant body of scientific knowledge and human creativity was practically erased from public memory due to political dictatorship.
The modern role of the A.Yu. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies of the NAS of Ukraine in restoring and popularizing Borys Kurts’ legacy demonstrates an institutional commitment to the decolonization of Ukrainian science and the return to public consciousness of those names erased by Stalinist terror.
Against the backdrop of the invasion and military crisis that Ukraine has faced since 2022, honoring figures like Borys Kurts acquires deep symbolic and practical meaning. It is a testament to the desire to restore the nation’s historical and cultural wealth, which was threatened with loss through decades of occupation and falsification. The portrait has become a symbol of the renewal of historical memory, a return to the origins of our own scientific tradition, and fidelity to the ideals of academic freedom and critical thinking for which Borys Kurts and his generation fought.
Coverage of the event by "Ukrinform"
Photo: Ukrinform and A.Yu. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies of the NAS of Ukraine
Information provided by A.Yu. Krymsky Institute of Oriental Studies of the NAS of Ukraine
