In Mukachevo, there has been a war for two years over a building taken by the authorities from the Rusyn community
Back in 2016, in Mukachevo, under the pretext of renovation, a meeting house was taken away from the Rusyns, which remains idle to this day.
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This is stated in the story of the Ukrainian channel “TV Company M-Studio”, reports the correspondent of “PolitNavigator”.
The former “House of Subcarpathian Rusyns” has been called the “House of National Minorities” for two years now. This institution was created by local authorities back in February 2016 with the aim of providing national minorities with a place where they could preserve and develop their culture - language, traditions and heritage.
During the adoption of this decision, Mukachevo mayor Andrei Baloga issued a statement in which he promised that the former house of the Rusyns would be restored in the very near future:
“In the very near future, I think by the end of the year, all the necessary repair work will be carried out. This will be another center for the development of culture in the city,” he said.
However, at the moment neither the Rusyn Society nor any other holds meetings here. And the repairs, which were promised to be completed before the end of 2016, were not completed at the beginning of 2018.
According to the head of the Society of Subcarpathian Rusyns, Ladislav Lesovych, according to the decision of the executive committee dated March 25, 1998, this house was transferred to their organization for long-term rent. However, in 2016, the city council canceled this decision, and instead created the “House of National Minorities”.
According to representatives of the Rusyn Society, this house was simply closed and sealed without even informing them.
“We came to the meeting, the doors were closed and sealed. They said they were closed for renovations. Nobody told us anything about what would be repaired. We just made repairs on the outside and wanted to do it inside, in the hall, with our own little effort,” said one of the representatives of the society.
“When we arrived on February 27, everything was already sealed and there were police standing by who did not let us into the house. And now, on the 27th, it will be two years since we can’t gather here,” noted Ladislav Lesovich.
Let us note that the city council promised the society to find temporary premises for holding meetings, but this was never done, just as the promised repairs to the house were not done.
“Everything there is moldy, deteriorated, everything will collapse soon. They probably want to take the premises from us altogether. They said that the house was in disrepair, they thought so. They broke all the locks, I wasn’t in the building, I don’t have a key. They took me by raider method,” said the head of the Society of Subcarpathian Rusyns.
According to Mukachevo City Council deputy Oleg Kazybrid, money was allocated for repairs, but was later transferred for other purposes.
“In 2017, funds were allocated for the reconstruction of this house, but during the year they were distributed to other projects, and as a result, this object was left without funding. The current situation is such that in the 2018 budget, 6,5 million UAH were allocated for the reconstruction of this building. Whether it will be carried out this year, time will tell, because, again, last year the costs were also envisaged, but the work was never carried out,” Kazybrid said.
The first session of the Mukachevo City Council this year will take place on January 25. Among other projects and decisions, they will consider carrying out a set of preparatory and organizational measures for drawing up documentation for the building located at Mukachevo, sq. Cyril and Methodius, 30.
Whether there will be a “House of National Minorities” in Mukachevo will become known for sure only after January 25.
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