Ukrainians are trying to protect their unique culture and history by protecting statues, museums and artifacts. The Russian army, on the other hand, is trying to efface Ukraine’s culture entirely.
So far, Russia has destroyed 164 cultural sites, including 17 monuments, 32 historic buildings, 72 religious sites, and 24 cultural activity related buildings, according to the United Nations. The most damaged regions are the Kharkiv and Donetsk, which together have seen almost 90 sites destroyed.
Russia is also claiming Ukraine has no unique culture and is not a separate state. Vladimir Putin published a 6,000-word article, On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians, which denies the fact that Ukraine has ever been a separate state from Russia. In 2008, Putin said that “Ukraine is not even a country,” in a meeting with former U.S. president George W. Bush. He also claimed that the Ukrainian language is actually a Russian dialect, though this is not true.
“You see how many historical fake justifications there are in the Russian motivation for this war,” says the Ukrainian philosopher Anton Drobovych. One of these is the denial of Ukraine statehood and culture. Yet, Ukraine has a rich culture and history, and has been independent since 1991.
Ukraine is defending its culture against the Russians. Volunteers, are covering statues with sand bags and fire-resistant blankets in the hopes of preserving them. In addition, museums are digitizing photographs, and 3-D scanning artifacts so they can be saved and rebuilt if they are destroyed. Some museums are even relocating artifacts to safer locations.
The destruction to Ukraine’s culture could have lasting, devastating effects.
“These [monuments, buildings, cultural sites] are all part of the identity of people in Ukraine; their loss will have a lasting effect,” said cultural rights expert Alexandra Xanthaki. She also said the cultural rights of everyone, including Ukrainians and Russians, must be respected. This is because culture is part of identity and dignity.
Russia and Ukraine have been involved in conflict before the 2022 Russian invasion. In 2014, there was a protest to overthrow Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych, who was deemed too friendly with the Russians. Then, in February 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, and in 2019, Ukraine elected Volodymyr Zelenskyy as president. These conflicts and cultural conflicts eventually led to the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
Sources:
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/damaged-cultural-sites-ukraine-verified-unesco?hub=66116
https://news.un.org/en/story/20Damaged cultural sites in Ukraine verified by UNESCO22/05/1119052
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658071321708x977311425007712000/The%20War%20in%20Ukraine%20Is%20the%20True%20Culture%20War%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
So far, Russia has destroyed 164 cultural sites, including 17 monuments, 32 historic buildings, 72 religious sites, and 24 cultural activity related buildings, according to the United Nations. The most damaged regions are the Kharkiv and Donetsk, which together have seen almost 90 sites destroyed.
Russia is also claiming Ukraine has no unique culture and is not a separate state. Vladimir Putin published a 6,000-word article, On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians, which denies the fact that Ukraine has ever been a separate state from Russia. In 2008, Putin said that “Ukraine is not even a country,” in a meeting with former U.S. president George W. Bush. He also claimed that the Ukrainian language is actually a Russian dialect, though this is not true.
“You see how many historical fake justifications there are in the Russian motivation for this war,” says the Ukrainian philosopher Anton Drobovych. One of these is the denial of Ukraine statehood and culture. Yet, Ukraine has a rich culture and history, and has been independent since 1991.
Ukraine is defending its culture against the Russians. Volunteers, are covering statues with sand bags and fire-resistant blankets in the hopes of preserving them. In addition, museums are digitizing photographs, and 3-D scanning artifacts so they can be saved and rebuilt if they are destroyed. Some museums are even relocating artifacts to safer locations.
The destruction to Ukraine’s culture could have lasting, devastating effects.
“These [monuments, buildings, cultural sites] are all part of the identity of people in Ukraine; their loss will have a lasting effect,” said cultural rights expert Alexandra Xanthaki. She also said the cultural rights of everyone, including Ukrainians and Russians, must be respected. This is because culture is part of identity and dignity.
Russia and Ukraine have been involved in conflict before the 2022 Russian invasion. In 2014, there was a protest to overthrow Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovych, who was deemed too friendly with the Russians. Then, in February 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, and in 2019, Ukraine elected Volodymyr Zelenskyy as president. These conflicts and cultural conflicts eventually led to the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
Sources:
https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/damaged-cultural-sites-ukraine-verified-unesco?hub=66116
https://news.un.org/en/story/20Damaged cultural sites in Ukraine verified by UNESCO22/05/1119052
https://s3.amazonaws.com/appforest_uf/f1658071321708x977311425007712000/The%20War%20in%20Ukraine%20Is%20the%20True%20Culture%20War%20-%20The%20New%20York%20Times.pdf
