On the third day of the campaign, armored columns descended from Belarus to Kiev. On their way, 25 paintings of artist Maria Primachenko were stored in the renovated museum in Ivankovo. After they passed, it burned, taking these naive works of art into the flames. During the four-month war, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) recorded damage to at least 152 Ukrainian cultural sites. “Heritage has been a direct or indirect casualty of several wars throughout history. For some belligerents, destruction becomes a strategy to weaken the adversary“, complains Director of the UN World Heritage Center Lazaré Elundu Asomo. Figaro.
To deal with this, France and Italy introduced a resolution at the United Nations in 2017, making certain destruction of cultural property a war crime. “Deliberate destruction of heritage is a war crime, then announced Irina Bokova, then Director-General of UNESCO. It has become a war tactic to inflict long-term damage on societies as part of a strategy of cultural cleansing. That is why the protection of cultural heritage is much more than a cultural issue, it is a security imperative inseparable from the protection of human lives.” His successor, Audrey Azoulay, said:cultural heritage in all its forms can never be targeted“.
Three regions of Ukraine are concentrated in three quarters of damages. Donetsk region (about 45), where the main battles are taking place. Kharkiv (40), where the Russian army was pushed back, and Kiev (26). Le Figaro takes a look back at 7 of the most iconic disasters that have occurred “special military operation“.
Ivankov Museum
The Ivankov Museum north of Kiev and its naïve art collection evoked the first sense of heritage destruction. Starting with the Minister of Culture of Ukraine, who announced that he requested UNESCO to cancel Russia’s membership in the organization. “The loss is immeasurable”– wrote Oksana Liniv, a conductor from the west of the country, who last summer became the first woman to conduct an opera at the German Bayreuth Festival. “Among the many atrocities committed in Ukraine over the past few days, Russian forces have begun to destroy Ukrainian cultural heritage.”James Cuno spoke Los Angeles TimesDirector of the J. Paul Getty Trust Museum in Los Angeles.
Okhtyrka city museum
Okhtria, between Kharkov and Sumi, was the scene of fierce fighting against the Russian army until the latter was withdrawn. On March 9, the city museum was bombed, where, in particular, the documents related to the Okhtyrka Cossack regiment of the 17th and 18th centuries were kept. It was dated to the 19th century.
Vasyl Tarnovsky Museum in Chernihiv
Located on the outskirts of Chernigov, northeast of Kyiv, the museum housed Vasyl Tarnovsky’s collection since 1901. The latter had accumulated many historical objects, including personal weapons of Ukrainian hetmans, former military commanders in the XV-XVIII centuries. Most of the collection was later moved to another museum, but the main pieces still remain there, as do some manuscripts. On March 11, the strike destroyed a significant part of the museum.
Church of Saint George in Zavorichi
Its blue walls, green roofs and golden domes were the pride of the inhabitants of the village of Zavorichi, about 70 kilometers from Kyiv. “They attacked our church. boys don’t get into it. They went and hit our church. Russian world. This is your Russian world.– laments a resident on the video, pointing to the burning roof. St. George Church, built in 1873, burned down after a shell hit the roof on March 7.
Mariupol Theater
Mariupol was a symbol for the Russian army in several ways. In 2014, during its previous invasion of Ukraine, the city joined the separatists and was then captured by the regular army. From the first day of the campaign, its capture became a problem, especially since its port was strategic. Hundreds of civilians took shelter in the theater built in 1960 to protect themselves from the incessant and uncertain bombardment. On March 16, Kremlin artillery bombarded the theater, killing between 300 and 600 civilians, according to several estimates.
Ascension Church of Lukashovka
The Church of the Ascension, the only monument of Lukashovka village on the edge of Chernigov, was built in 1913 in the neo-Byzantine style. The Bolshevik Revolution would exploit it until 1988. After many works, it will even be registered in the national list of cultural heritage sites. Before their retreat from the Chernigov region, the Russian army, which was using it as their headquarters, would burn it down. Ukrainian forces would later find bodies near the church, suspecting its use as an expedited court.
Hermitage of All Saints in Sviatohirsk
Sviatohirsk Monastery has a huge religious complex in Donbass. In the early 2000s, this hermitage replaced a stone building destroyed during the Soviet era. On March 12, the Russians bombed the nearby bridge with an airstrike. The refugees suffered as well as some priests. On June 4, a new bombardment finally destroyed the monastery of St. Montan. Russians “They continue to claim that they cannot be part of the civilized world”Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information of Ukraine, wrote on Facebook.
Source: Le Figaro
