Maksym Ostapenko

He has worked in cultural heritage conservation for over three decades. He began his career at the Khortytsia National Reserve, where he worked his way up from research assistant to director general. He led archaeological expeditions, including underwater research in the Dnipro basin, participated in the study and salvage of Cossack vessels, and oversaw projects to establish museums and create the “Zaporizhzhia Sich” historical and cultural complex. He has authored over 30 academic papers.
With the outbreak of full-scale war, he enlisted in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since 2023, he has been the director general of the National Preserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra”, where he works to solidify Ukrainian identity, reassess historical heritage, and transform the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra into an open cultural space for modern Ukraine.