Over 60 cultural institutions destroyed by Russians in Luhansk region, almost 600 under occupation
DIANA KRECHETOVA, Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia — MONDAY, 27 JUNE 2022
The Russian occupiers have destroyed more than 60 institutions and cultural monuments in the Luhansk region, 14 of which were completely destroyed.
This was reported by Serhii Haidai, the head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration. He also published photos of the Russian crimes against Ukrainian culture.
"The destructive ‘Russian world’ is trying to erase our history from the map of the world, destroying cultural institutions and architectural monuments of the Luhansk region," Haidai emphasises.
According to him, before the Russian invasion, there were a total of 643 cultural institutions in the Luhansk region. Now the vast majority of them (582) are located on the territories temporarily occupied by the Russians.
The head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration added that it is not known for sure in what condition these cultural institutions are.
"However, the complete destruction of 14 sites has been officially recorded. Another 47 have sustained serious damage. Most of them have been 70 to 90% destroyed.
What a generation of Luhansk residents has protected and what we were all proud of is disappearing. How can you imagine Sievierodonetsk without a theatre or a music conservatory? Or Lysychansk without its Belgian heritage? However, it seems the Russians can imagine it, as they are purposely destroying all of this," Serhii Haidai said.
According to him, the Russian army is even destroying churches that were subordinated to the Moscow Patriarchate.
"They do not try to preserve history and faith, unless the Kremlin tells them to. They have been taught to be proud of only three or four of the several thousand pages of a history textbook. These non-humans do not remember anything else and try to make us forget too", the head of the Luhansk Oblast Military Administration emphasises.
The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy has recorded at least 396 instances of war crimes against Ukrainian culture since 24 February.
