Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna stated that Kyiv's cultural institutions have suffered the most extensive series of damages since the beginning of the full-scale war of the Russian Federation against Ukraine. Among those affected are the National Art Museum, the National Philharmonic, and the Kyiv Opera, UNN reports.
Details
According to Berezhna, while Russians were receiving awards at the Cannes Film Festival, their brothers and sisters were shelling Ukrainian children. The awarding of Russian artists and their attempt to whitewash themselves by shifting the blame solely onto the Russian dictator-president appeared particularly cynical.
During the night, the Russians severely damaged the National Art Museum of Ukraine. The National Museum "Chernobyl" sustained significant damage. The National Philharmonic of Ukraine, the Yaroslav Mudryi National Library of Ukraine, the Kyiv Opera, and numerous architectural monuments, including the Contract House and the Postal Station, were also damaged. Part of the facade windows at the Ukrainian House was damaged. Currently, specialists and relevant services are documenting all the consequences of the attack and assessing the scale of the destruction
According to the Minister, Russia is systematically striking at culture and the spaces that shape Ukrainian identity, "trying to destroy our memory." However, Ukrainian culture has endured before and will endure now.
As of today, Russia has already destroyed or damaged 1,783 cultural heritage sites and 2,540 cultural infrastructure facilities in Ukraine. This is further proof that Russia's war is also directed against Ukrainian culture and our identity. We are documenting every crime against Ukrainian cultural heritage and continue to work together with international partners on restoration. For this purpose, the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund was created
Recall
As a result of the massive Russian attack on Kyiv, the building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine was damaged. This was reported by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, who added that "Russian strikes were aimed at a historical area, the very center of ancient Rus."