All-Ukrainian NGO "Stop Corruption" and NGO "Citadel" Signed a Memorandum: Fortifications — Under Public Oversight, National Heritage — Under Protection

From education and remembrance of defenders to monitoring procurements: anti-corruption activists from All-Ukrainian NGO "Stop Corruption" and fortification researchers from NGO "Citadel" are joining forces

Anti-corruption activists and researchers are joining forces: the All-Ukrainian public organization "Stop Corruption" and the public organization "International Association of Fortification Researchers 'Citadel'" signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. The document was sealed with signatures from Citadel director Pavlo Netyosov, Stop Corruption co-founder Roman Bochkala, and Stop Corruption board chair Ihor Bondarchuk. The parties agreed to jointly strengthen public oversight of the use of public funds for construction, reconstruction, and maintenance of fortification and defensive structures, and to preserve Ukraine’s fortification heritage.

The memorandum signing took place 7 October in Kyiv at the "Blockpost of Memory" museum based at the art lyceum. Before the signing, Stop Corruption representatives visited the exhibition of the Museum of the Russian-Ukrainian War dedicated to Ukrainian medics, for which the canvas was the bloodstained stretchers from positions in Kharkiv region along the line of combat contact in 2023. The idea’s authors are Nika Sokol and Pavlo Netyosov.

"Pavlo Netyosov and I have been friends for many years. I clearly remember how we met: it was at St. Michael’s Cathedral, unfortunately during a farewell for the fallen, when guys from 'Aidar' gathered. Later that acquaintance grew into a many-year friendship and joint struggle," said Stop Corruption co-founder, co-founder of the Battalion Volunteer Charitable Foundation Roman Bochkala.

"In the eleventh year of the war, the fight against an external aggressor strangely led to the situation where Pavlo, and therefore us, because we don’t abandon a friend in trouble, have to fight for a place for this wonderful museum. It’s a unique space that contains the most important thing: memory. Memory and unique artifacts of our war with the terrible Russian enemy. Children must come here to learn, remember, and not forget," he emphasized.

According to Bochkala, it is hard to believe, but there are officials who think that… this museum supposedly has no place here.

"They have already found potential tenants and have probably already counted the pennies they want to earn from this space. And the museum was simply asked to leave: go and find a new place," he complained.

"Why do I call them corrupt officials? Because we are already studying their property status, analyzing their lifestyle, declarations, and we see many questions there. So the museum will not go anywhere from here. These officials will leave their positions, and very soon," emphasized the Stop Corruption co-founder.

"We, from the side of Stop Corruption and from the Battalion Volunteer Charitable Foundation, will do everything to help this place develop and to make sure museums like this under Pavlo and his team appear in other places as well. There should be dozens of such exhibitions across the country. May this place become an example of how to honor memory so that future generations of Ukrainians know who fought for our country’s independence," he added.

He thanked the entire Stop Corruption team led by Ihor Bondarchuk: human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and everyone who contributes to keeping the museum standing.

"By all available legal methods we write articles, statements, appeals, make requests, prepare media materials. And we will definitely not allow anyone to destroy this museum," Bochkala stressed.

For his part, head of NGO IAFR "Citadel" Pavlo Netyosov also thanked partners for their comprehensive support.

"I want to thank the Battalion Volunteer team and the Stop Corruption team. You have always been with us for many years. Signing the memorandum is, you might say, a formality, but for us it is a very important step. Today we are your partners in the fight against an internal enemy. Corruption is an evil that destroys us from within. If the Armed Forces and Defense Forces protect us from outside, repelling the Muscovites’ attacks, corruption destroys us from within and must also be fought systematically. We are ready to join this fight," he emphasized.

"I remember how great it was: you come to the museum, it’s small, but our school even has a museum. People could come, guests could look, honor the memory. There were always those who died, and we remembered our warriors who fell in the war," shared Stop Corruption board chair Ihor Bondarchuk.

"The war for us has been going on since 2014, we have been fighting so many years, so much has accumulated. When I came to your museum, I was first struck by the uniqueness of some artifacts. We really hadn’t seen this anywhere else, although we’ve been many places and seen a lot," he said.

"I am very surprised that some officials allow themselves to neglect memory. Where are they going to put all these artifacts? It’s unlikely any of them have been here and tried to understand how difficult it was to collect each item of this museum. So maybe first they should come and look," he added.

"This museum gave impetus to many large exhibitions that Pavlo mentioned, including at the National Defense University. Therefore I urge everyone to join cultural and historical support programs for the Ukrainian people: this is where I see national potential and Ukraine’s unity. We will continue to do everything to support such wonderful projects, and the public organization 'Citadel' is doing everything very correctly," Ihor Bondarchuk emphasized.

What does the memorandum provide for?

Stop Corruption is a well-known public organization that has been working in the field of preventing and countering corruption and public oversight for over 10 years. The Stop Corruption team includes about 100 separate chapters and territorial subdivisions in various corners of Ukraine.

The International Association of Fortification Researchers 'Citadel' is a well-known public organization that researches, preserves, and popularizes Ukraine’s fortification heritage.

The document defines several areas of joint work. Among them:

public monitoring of public procurements for works, goods, and services for the construction of fortification and defensive structures — based on the open data of the Prozorro electronic system;

assessment of the compliance of the volumes, costs, and technical specifications declared in procurements with the actual condition of objects — within the limits permitted by legislation on state secrets and the legal regime of martial law;

preparation of analytical materials, appeals, and requests for access to public information;

initiating public anti-corruption expertise of draft regulatory legal acts in the field of defense construction and cultural heritage protection;

research, documentation, and promotion of historical fortification sites, facilitating their preservation;

educational activities: seminars, round tables, publications, and training programs for journalists, activists, and local government representatives.

"This memorandum is a symbolic act. This is how we legally formalized our long-standing fraternal relations," summed up Roman Bochkala.

The parties identified support for the Kyiv State Art Lyceum named after T. H. Shevchenko as a priority joint project — both during martial law and throughout post-war recovery.

Recall that recently the institution’s staff appealed to Ukrainian media with an open letter stating destabilization of the educational process, staff dismissals, problems with food and security, personnel issues, and possible plans to reorganize the institution. The staff also raised the issue of the fate of the "Blockpost of Memory" museum dedicated to the Russian-Ukrainian war.

The conflict around the museum escalated after, on 1 December 2025, Alewtina Kahidze was appointed acting director of the lyceum. As StopCor wrote, after the leadership change, a patriotic sign, a portrait of Taras Shevchenko, and the inscription "Glory to Ukraine!" were removed from the entrance to the institution. Later the administration raised the issue of vacating the museum premises.

According to Pavlo Netyosov, the parties initially agreed to jointly appeal to the Ministry of Culture, but then Citadel was handed a demand to vacate. Among the reasons cited were alleged danger to children and the presence of items resembling explosives, although the museum team has findings from the state expert review regarding the safety of the exhibits.

Since the lyceum is under the management of the Ministry of Culture, questions about the fate of the institution and the museum are addressed primarily to officials of that ministry. Among them is Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna, who on 20 April 2026 signed order No.502 to create a commission to inspect the lyceum. As of the end of September, the results of that inspection had not been published. Responsibility for this area also lies with Deputy Minister Yevhen Lavro, who is responsible for art and art education, Tetiana Kolos, listed in ministry documents as head of the art education direction, and the head of the State Agency for Arts and Art Education Olga Rossoshanska.

Who are Pavlo Netyosov and the 'Blockpost of Memory' project known for?

Pavlo Netyosov — a Ukrainian Armed Forces captain with the call sign "Citadel," a searcher, historian, and serviceman. He searched for fallen soldiers of World War II, joined the 'Evacuation-200' mission in 2014, and on the day of the full-scale invasion defended the Kyiv region. He is now a research associate at the Center for Military History of the National Defense University of Ukraine.

Pavlo Netyosov and NGO Citadel are the authors and organizers of the memorial exhibition-museum "Blockpost of Memory." According to the author, the first exhibit appeared in 3 September 2014. Since March 2016, Blockpost of Memory, as Citadel’s volunteer project, has toured all over Ukraine as a traveling exhibition.

The main exhibits of the exhibition are personal effects of fallen defenders placed in wooden ammo crates; overall the exhibition contains over a thousand items.

"Blockpost of Memory" was exhibited in Odesa, Mykolaiv, Khmelnytskyi, Vinnytsia, and other cities. During just 2019 year it was visited by about 100 thousand people. In Odesa the exhibition was viewed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the North Atlantic Council.

"Citadel of Memory" at the National Defense University

The experience of "Blockpost of Memory" formed the basis for a new exhibition at the military-historical museum at the National Defense University of Ukraine. As our colleagues from media CK Life reported in the report "Citadel of Memory," in August 2022 General Colonel Mykhailo Koval, who headed the university, called Netyosov and invited him to help create a memory space unlike any in any army in the world.

The team’s first step was a model of a combat pillbox right on the university grounds, followed by a platform for trophy equipment. The core of the exhibition consisted of items previously preserved by the public organization, each with its own documented history.

"All our stories are true. Nothing is made up," emphasizes Pavlo Netyosov.

One of the most powerful installations is dedicated to Bucha: on a metal sheet pocked with fragments from Hostomel airfield a map of the city is drawn, and the punctures, lit in red, coincide with sites of mass shootings. The museum hosted the president of Ukraine, ministers, and foreign delegations, but the team considers school youth and pupils the most important guests.

Systematic support of the National Defense University of Ukraine from Stop Corruption and Battalion Volunteer

The memorandum signing continued years of cooperation. The Stop Corruption project and the Battalion Volunteer charitable foundation systematically support the National Defense University of Ukraine and the military museum.

For example, in May 2024 the Battalion Volunteer Foundation together with the Techiia Foundation allocated about 500 thousand hryvnias for the needs of the NDU museum: modern projectors and VR goggles for interactive learning, and completion of the mural "Our Land" dedicated to events in Izium in Kharkiv region (see also StopCor video report).

"Those who do not know their own history later learn the history of the enemy," Roman Bochkala stressed then.

Editorial support for the university is also provided by StopCor’s editorial office: for example, in October 2024 we covered the NDU staff’s open appeal regarding returning the main building to the ownership of the Ministry of Defense.

Recall that on 8 September 2026 Stop Corruption and the NGO "Ukrainian Federation of Professional Medical Associations" of the National Academy of Medical Sciences signed a Memorandum of Cooperation. The parties agreed to cooperate on transparency and integrity in healthcare, protecting the rights of patients and medical workers.