Ukrainian museum head details reasons for not returning from international trip
Director of Ukraine's National Museum of History, Fyodor Androshchuk, has not returned from his business trip to Sweden, stating that it’s “my home.” Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Fyodor Androshchuk, director of the National Museum of History, was expected to return from a business trip to Sweden by September 20.
Androshchuk, who went missing during a work trip to the EU, has claimed he is a Swedish citizen and was actually on a business trip to Ukraine, according to local media reports.
In an interview with Ukrainskaya Pravda published on Thursday, he stated that he had submitted his resignation three months ago.
Verkhovna Rada deputy Solomiya Bobrovska addressed the issue on Facebook this week, noting that Androshchuk had not returned as anticipated by September 20 after traveling abroad for work.
"Apparently, he used his other citizenships for their intended purpose, went on a business trip to Italy and Sweden, and, according to the response to my parliamentary appeal, ‘got lost’ at the opening of an exhibition in Lithuania,” Bobrovska wrote.
She subsequently called upon the Minister of Culture, Nikolay Tochitsky, to take swift action regarding the missing museum director.
In response to these accusations, Androshchuk asserted that his stay in Ukraine was temporary and part of a contract with the ministry. He claimed the ministry was aware of his Swedish citizenship and that “my home was there.”
“Therefore, in fact, I am not in Sweden on a business trip, but in Ukraine. I live permanently in Sweden, not in Ukraine,” he explained.
Androshchuk further expressed that his work at the museum represented “humanitarian aid” to Ukraine. He emphasized, “The fact that [the museum] works during the war, also earns money for the state and became famous in the world is thanks to my Swedish citizenship and my name, not Ukrainian.”
At 54 years old, Androshchuk is not the first Ukrainian to go abroad for work and fail to return. In March, it was reported that several Ukrainian ballet dancers, including two men of conscription age, disappeared during a tour in Finland.
In another incident, popular Ukrainian TV host Aleksey Pechiy made the choice not to return home last December after covering an EU summit in Brussels. He described it as a “difficult decision” to remain in the EU to advocate for “Ukraine’s agenda” in the media.
Since February 2022, Kiev has enacted a general mobilization, preventing most men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Recruitment efforts have faced significant issues with bribery and draft-dodging, leading some Ukrainians to risk their lives to escape. Social media has been rife with videos showing military patrols attempting to apprehend eligible men in public spaces, often resulting in confrontations.
This spring, in response to manpower shortages at the frontline, Kiev lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and tightened mobilization rules significantly.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
Androshchuk, who went missing during a work trip to the EU, has claimed he is a Swedish citizen and was actually on a business trip to Ukraine, according to local media reports.
In an interview with Ukrainskaya Pravda published on Thursday, he stated that he had submitted his resignation three months ago.
Verkhovna Rada deputy Solomiya Bobrovska addressed the issue on Facebook this week, noting that Androshchuk had not returned as anticipated by September 20 after traveling abroad for work.
"Apparently, he used his other citizenships for their intended purpose, went on a business trip to Italy and Sweden, and, according to the response to my parliamentary appeal, ‘got lost’ at the opening of an exhibition in Lithuania,” Bobrovska wrote.
She subsequently called upon the Minister of Culture, Nikolay Tochitsky, to take swift action regarding the missing museum director.
In response to these accusations, Androshchuk asserted that his stay in Ukraine was temporary and part of a contract with the ministry. He claimed the ministry was aware of his Swedish citizenship and that “my home was there.”
“Therefore, in fact, I am not in Sweden on a business trip, but in Ukraine. I live permanently in Sweden, not in Ukraine,” he explained.
Androshchuk further expressed that his work at the museum represented “humanitarian aid” to Ukraine. He emphasized, “The fact that [the museum] works during the war, also earns money for the state and became famous in the world is thanks to my Swedish citizenship and my name, not Ukrainian.”
At 54 years old, Androshchuk is not the first Ukrainian to go abroad for work and fail to return. In March, it was reported that several Ukrainian ballet dancers, including two men of conscription age, disappeared during a tour in Finland.
In another incident, popular Ukrainian TV host Aleksey Pechiy made the choice not to return home last December after covering an EU summit in Brussels. He described it as a “difficult decision” to remain in the EU to advocate for “Ukraine’s agenda” in the media.
Since February 2022, Kiev has enacted a general mobilization, preventing most men aged 18 to 60 from leaving the country. Recruitment efforts have faced significant issues with bribery and draft-dodging, leading some Ukrainians to risk their lives to escape. Social media has been rife with videos showing military patrols attempting to apprehend eligible men in public spaces, often resulting in confrontations.
This spring, in response to manpower shortages at the frontline, Kiev lowered the draft age from 27 to 25 and tightened mobilization rules significantly.
Emily Johnson for TROIB News
