Before and after: Postcards from Ukraine project shows what Russia does to cultural sites
Russia ruins and destroys heritage sites in Ukraine on purpose.
To demonstrate the consequences of the "Russian world", the Ukrainian Institute, with the support of USAID, launched an international campaign, "Postcards from Ukraine".
As part of the project, the institution will issue more than 100 postcards depicting cultural sites from different parts of Ukraine before and after the start of the full-scale war. Each of them has a description in Ukrainian and English, thanks to which you can find out how actually the invaders destroyed or damaged the depicted site.
The project "Postcards from Ukraine" aims to show the world the true face of the unprovoked and unjustified war that Russia has unleashed against Ukraine, its people and its culture.
"Russia's malicious, targeted destruction of Ukrainian Cultural Monuments is a huge loss for Ukraine, Europe and the whole world. Trying to erase the culture and history of Ukraine, the Kremlin is trying to erase the very concept of the Ukrainian nation", says James Hope, director of the USAID Mission in Ukraine.
Now the interactive map within the framework of the project" Postcards from Ukraine" contains stories about damaged cultural sites in 9 regions of Ukraine, including the temporarily occupied ones:
- Kharkiv Oblast (96),
- Donetsk Oblast (90),
- Kyiv Oblast (78),
- Chernihiv Oblast (38),
- Luhansk Oblast (32),
- Sumy Oblast (28),
- Zaporizhzhia Oblast (13),
- Zhytomyr Oblast (6),
- Crimea (2).
"Russia's war in Ukraine brings not only death to the people of Ukraine, but also erases its culture, destroying historical buildings, mosques, synagogues, monuments, art galleries, museums, libraries and even unique modes of transport associated with the country, such as the world's largest aircraft, An-225 Mriya, - adds deputy general director Alim Aliyev.
We publish some of the postcards that demonstrate the state of Ukrainian cultural sites before and after the invasion of the aggressor country.
Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God in Kharkiv Oblast
The Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God is a stone structure in the late classicism style, built on the site of a wooden church in the town of Derhachi. The first mention of this building dates back to 1691.
On 4 April 2022, during Russia’s war of conquest against Ukraine, a Russian artillery shell flew into the courtyard of the shrine. As a result of the shelling, the church's facades and windows were damaged, and a Sunday school and a church shop were destroyed.
Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God in Kharkiv Oblast
Lysychansk multidisciplinary Gymnasium in Luhansk Oblast
The building was built in 1895, but the Lysychansk multidisciplinary gymnasium itself has been operating here since 1977.
It became one of the exemplary educational institutions of Luhansk Oblast and was included in the top 100 Best Ukrainian schools, providing students with high-quality education for admission to the most prestigious higher educational institutions in Ukraine. In 2017, the Lysychansk multidisciplinary gymnasium was awarded the "Belgian Heritage Abroad" Award.
The building withstood two World Wars, the battle for the city during Russia's armed aggression in eastern Ukraine in 2014, but it was destroyed as a result of targeted shelling by the Russian Federation on 1 May 2022. A fire started in the gymnasium, and the fire destroyed the hundred-year-old architectural monument.
Lysychansk multidisciplinary gymnasium destroyed by the Russians. PHOTO: Ukrainian Institute
Mriya, Kyiv Region
The Ukrainian Mriya (An-225) appeared in 1988. In March 1989, the aircraft set 110 world records for speed, height and load capacity. And in 2004, the International Aeronautics Federation added the AN-225 aircraft to the Guinness Book of World Records for its 240 records, which was a unique case in aviation history.
For the past 20 years, the aircraft has been delivering large-sized humanitarian cargo to places affected by natural disasters: earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes.
However, on 27 March, 2022, Russian warplanes attacked Hostomel airport and destroyed the world's largest and most powerful transport aircraft, which became a symbol of peace, mutual assistance and support that countries around the world provided to each other.
The Mriya plane destroyed by the Russians. PHOTO: Ukrainian Institute
According to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, as of 30 July, the invaders have destroyed or damaged 450 cultural heritage sites. This list is constantly updated.
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