Ukraine (1917–1919) The origin of the Ukrainian ministry could be traced to the earliest creation of the General Secretariat of Ukraine where a department of culture was created in 1917 within the Secretariat of People's Education headed by
Ivan Steshenko. It was created on same principles that existed during the
Russian Empire where cultural life in Ukraine was administered by the
Russian Ministry of Enlightenment. In May 1918 the
Ukrainian People's Republic established the Ministry of People's Education and Arts headed by
Mykola Vasylenko. Later there was a
Ministry of Art headed by
Dmytro Antonovych (December 1918 - February 1919) that was disbanded soon after the
Soviet invasion of Ukraine. In the 1918
Ukrainian State there existed the
Ministry of Confessions that was first created by the government of
Pavlo Skoropadskyi on 30 April 1918 and was at first headed by
Mykola Vasylenko. After the fall of Skoropadsky the Ministry of Confessions (30 Apri 1918 - 14 December 1918) was transformed into Administration of Cults at first and later into Ministry of Denomination (13 February 1919) both headed by
Ivan Lypa. One of the most noticeable ministers however was
Ivan Ohiyenko.
Soviet Ukraine With advancing Bolsheviks in Ukraine, there also was established the People's Commissariat of People's Education that took over most of cultural life in Ukraine. On 25 February 1919 by its decree, the Council of People's Commissariats of UkrSSR (CPC of UkrSSR) established Cinema Committee within its People's Commissariat of People's Education and registering all electro-theatres in Ukraine. On 19 February 1921 the CPC of UkrSSR issued statement obligating its People's Commissariat of People's Education to use all of artwork for purpose of communist agitation (propaganda). Previously by decree of 14 December 1920, the CPC of UkrSSR established Main Political and Educational Committee within its People's Commissariat of People's Education. Another decree of CPC of UkrSSR of 11 March 1921 "About purchase for state museums museum valuables from private individuals" initiated creation of state museums which were previously "nationalised" by Bolsheviks "in the name of the Revolution" in form of simple
expropriation. Along with that there was established All-Ukrainian Committee in Conservation of artworks, artifacts, and natural landmarks. On 19 April 1921 CPC of UkrSSR issued decree "About peasants homes" (, selyanski budynky) establishing centers of political education (propaganda) in rural areas. On 22 November 1922, on efforts of people's commissar Hrynko, the
Central Executive Committee of Ukraine adopted its statement "About enacting Code of Laws about People's Education" () which defined the network of cultural and art institutions, their framework of functioning, and mechanisms of administration. From 1953 to 1991, the Ministry of Culture of the
Ukrainian SSR existed. In 1997, the ministry changed its name to the Ministry of Culture and
Arts of Ukraine. But the succeeding
Shmyhal Government undid this merger, separating the Ministry of Youth and Sports into a separate body, and so on 23 March 2020 the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports was renamed the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, joining the
Ministry of Information Policy, which operated from 2 December 2014 The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications became the main state authority in the system of central government of
Ukraine responsible for ensuring the informational sovereignty of Ukraine, in particular regarding the dissemination of socially important information in Ukraine and beyond, as well as ensuring the functioning of state information resources and country's cultural development and history preservation. In mid-August 2025, the
acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine
Tetyana Berezhna stated that the ministry's strategic communications departments would be transferred into a separate institution in a process that should be completed by the end of 2025. On 21 October 2025, Berezhna was appointed Minister of Culture, with strategic communications departments and responsibilities (such as the
United News telethon) being taken out of the ministry's portfolio again. Following the change, the ministry was renamed to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine by the
Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine on 31 October 2025. ==Structure==