A solemn press conference was held at the House of Scientists of Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University, dedicated to honoring the laureates of the National Prize of Ukraine named after Borys Paton. The award was granted to a team of leading Ukrainian scientists who presented the fundamental research “Ukraine Soborna in the Struggle for State Independence 1917–1923.”
The research highlights key moments of the struggle for Ukrainian unity: liberation struggles, the unification of lands, the formation of state institutions, and Ukraine’s international efforts.
Among the laureates of the award are scientists from Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University:
- Ihor Yevhenovych Tsependa – Acting Rector of the University, Doctor of Political Sciences;
- Volodymyr Stepanovych Velykochiy – Dean of the Faculty of Tourism, Doctor of Historical Sciences;
- Mykola Vasylovych Kuhutyak – Head of the Department of Ethnology and Archaeology, Doctor of Historical Sciences;
- Mykola Dmytrovych Vitenko – Associate Professor of the Department of History of Central and Eastern Europe, Candidate of Historical Sciences.
The award was also presented to leading scholars from other institutions: Ihor Soliar, Mykola Lytvyn, Oleksandr Dobrzhansky, and Oleg Pavlyshyn.
Acting Rector Ihor Tsependa emphasized: “This project united the best scientific centers of Ukraine and resulted in the creation of the four-volume encyclopedia ‘The West Ukrainian People’s Republic,’ which contains over 3200 articles. We are returning to the lessons of the struggle for unity, which are extremely important today. We are grateful to everyone who supported this project, and especially to the President of Ukraine for his attention to science even in such a difficult time for the country.”
Such awards highlight the importance of scientific research for preserving historical memory and national identity.
The press conference was another step toward popularizing Ukrainian science and gaining international recognition for its achievements.
Vasyl Stefanyk Precarpathian National University expresses its gratitude to everyone who contributed to organizing this event, as well as the media that support the strengthening of national pride and unity through the coverage of scientific achievements.