Ministry of Culture warns Russian attacks on cultural heritage constitute a war crime

Olena Barsukova, Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia  – SATURDAY, 25 JUNE 2022

The Russians have committed at least 396 instances of war crimes against Ukrainian culture during the more than four months of the great war. 

In total, the Russian occupiers have damaged 123 cultural heritage sites, according to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.

The complete destruction of 9 sites in the Donetsk, Kyiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions is already known..

100 valuable historical buildings and 144 religious buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

The Russian forces have destroyed 43 memorials, 31 museums and parks, 79 houses of culture, theatres and a library in Ukraine.

Constant shelling and rocket attacks have destroyed 21 monuments of national importance, 95 of local significance and 7 newly discovered cultural heritage sites.

Cultural monuments in Kharkiv, Donetsk and Kyiv oblasts have suffered the most from Russian crimes.

"The destruction of cultural heritage sites is a war crime under the 1954 Hague Convention.

We continue to draw the attention of the world community to the crimes of the Russians, so that this country is punished and excluded from the cultural and informational life of the civilised world," the Ministry of Culture emphasises.

Background: 

The Russian occupiers are not only destroying cultural monuments and valuables but are stealing them too.

In particular, the occupiers stole a unique collection of medal art from destroyed Mariupol, as well as paintings by Aivazovskyi, Kuindzhi and other artists.

The Russian forces stole ancient Scythian gold from the Melitopol Museum of Local Lore.

And in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, the Russians even removed an ancient toilet from the Popov Manor castle.