Ukraine, the alarm of the Minister of Culture: “Russia is stealing our masterpieces”

“We have verified data according to which the Russians are taking away our masterpieces from the occupied territories, from cities like Mariupol or Melitopol.” The alarm was raised, through an exclusive interview with Adnkronos, by the Ukrainian Minister of Culture Oleksandr Tkachenko: “Russia has declared war not only on the territory, but also on Ukrainian culture – he warns – they want to erase culture and artistic heritage of our country “. The minister cites some data in his possession: “To date, according to verified information from this ministry, around 400 cultural assets have already been damaged or destroyed by the Russians since the beginning of the war. This has happened across the front line. : from Donetsk to Luhansk, there are cases of destruction and damage wherever there has been occupation by the enemy “. Of these 400, “more than 150 are churches or religious institutes”, explains the minister. Which reveals to Adnkronos: “We also know that two museums were intentionally destroyed: a museum in the Kiev region which contained the paintings of a well-known Ukrainian painter, Maria Prymachenko where fortunately the works were saved, and the Hryhorii Skovoroda museum, from which this year we would have celebrated 300 years since its birth. Four rockets fell on the first, two on the second “. “How do we know that the destruction was intentional? Both are located in two small countries, and it is impossible to get the wrong target because they are far from the big inhabited centers”. Surprisingly, “many monuments to Soviet soldiers have also been damaged – says the minister of Culture- I don’t have precise data and I don’t know if it was intentional but, in my opinion, this is proof that Russia’s speeches about their history during World War II are just propaganda. They don’t even care about that, their statements they don’t go hand in hand with their actions. ” Tkachenko’s appeal is therefore to the West: “We need help in three directions: first of all financial, then help to independent artists in Ukraine, and finally help to be able to preserve and restore our cultural heritage” . At the moment, “some theaters, museums and cinemas are slowly reopening, some are slowly starting to visit them again. But it is important to support the Ukrainian media, because since the beginning of the war we have seen a 97% decline in advertising, and therefore the their livelihood “. Russia and Ukraine ‘sisters’ from a cultural point of view? “Talking about the same roots is at least an exaggeration – the Ukrainian Minister of Culture points out to Adnkronos – The history of Ukraine and Russia is very different. They grew up on different terrains, they have different traditions. Ukraine is based on principles. democrats “. The country “has much more in common with the Poles and Lithuanians than with the Russians – Tkachenko sinks – Music is closer to Europe than to Russia. Since the time of the Russian empire of the tsars, they have always tried to destroy ours. culture and impose their own, starting with the language “. In these days, Unesco has declared the preparation of a typical dish, the Borscht, a World Heritage Site, unleashing the ire of Russia. “They saw it as a gesture of extremism or Nazism – says Tkachenko – There was hysteria about it, they said that in no way can it be declared a Ukrainian dish. But there are typical Russian dishes that we do not dream of. to declare Ukrainians. We have folders and dossiers that bring the evidence, why don’t they have the same? Nobody asks who the pizza is: leave the Borscht to the Ukrainians “, he adds. Russian artists and intellectuals who seem to have affected a part of the West: “I believe that at this moment we should not give space to Russian intellectuals who, in some way, carry on the Russian propaganda. And then, they also go on vacation in Italy or France to make their performances: why don’t they do the concerts in remote Siberia, bringing their matryoshkas there? “, He concludes.