The mosaic panel 'Ptakha' (Bird), created by Ukrainian artists Alla Horskaya and Viktor Zaretsky, has been officially entered into the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine as a cultural heritage site of national significance. This is reported by the publication Wave (RBC-Ukraine), citing data from the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. The work, located in the village of Helmiazov in Cherkasy Oblast, has thereby received enhanced legal protection: the object will be assigned a separate protection number, and its preservation will come under control at the national level.

The Legacy of the Sixtiers in Stone and Glass

'Ptakha' is one of the most expressive works of Ukrainian monumental art of the second half of the 20th century. The mosaic, adorning the pediment of a building in Helmiazov, depicts a stylized bird with a fanned-out spread of feathers against a rich red background, framed by floral motifs and geometric patterns. The work is closely associated with the creative output of the representatives of the Ukrainian Sixtiers — a cultural movement that in the 1960s became a symbol of national revival and artistic liberation. Alla Horskaya and Viktor Zaretsky, spouses and like-minded companions, were key figures of this movement, and their monumental works remain to this day recognizable markers of the era.

The Path to Official Recognition

The process of granting the mosaic a protected status began in 2025. In July of that same year, the Cherkasy Regional Military Administration included 'Ptakha' in the list of regional cultural heritage sites, classifying it as a newly discovered object. Already in October 2025, an expert commission of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine recommended granting the work the status of a monument of national significance. The final registration in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine was completed by mid-2026, thereby securing for the work the highest category of legal protection.

Context: Memory of Mariupol and Reconstruction

Alla Horskaya's mosaic heritage has attracted heightened attention in recent years, both in professional circles and in society at large. In June 2025, a recreated mosaic by the artist was presented at Independence Square in Kyiv; the original had been damaged as a result of hostilities in Mariupol. The reconstruction was carried out by 15 artists and researchers under the leadership of Yelyzaveta Zaretska, Alla Horskaya's granddaughter. This project became not only an act of artistic restoration but also a symbol of preserving cultural memory in wartime conditions.

What the New Status Means in Practice

Inclusion of the object in the State Register as a monument of national significance substantially expands the range of legal mechanisms for its protection. The object will be assigned a separate protection number, which will enable systematic record-keeping, monitoring of its condition, and the allocation of resources for restoration. For the village of Helmiazov and Cherkasy Oblast, this also means recognition of a local cultural value at the national level and the creation of additional conditions for preserving the mosaic for future generations.

Contradictory Data

In various publications, the title of the work varies: in the materials of Wave (RBC-Ukraine) and in the official documents of the Ministry of Culture, the mosaic is referred to as 'Ptakha,' whereas in a number of other sources, in particular on the kp.ua portal, it is designated as 'Ptytsi' (Birds). The discrepancy is likely due to informal simplification of the title when retelling, or to the fact that in local tradition the panel may have been named differently. This does not change the essence of the object or its protected status; however, when citing, it is recommended to rely on the title recorded in the State Register.