Russians destroy unique mosaic panel Hutsul Dance in Yevpatoriia

Russian "authorities" in the city of Yevpatoriia (Kezlev), Crimea, demolished the mosaic panel Hutsul Dance on the façade of the former guesthouse Rodnichok.

The work of artists Yurii Bielkin and Heorhii Bondar was destroyed because the guesthouse's territory is being "cleared" for building of multi-storey housing.

According to the public organisation Crimean Tatar Resource Centre, this came to light through the Russian media.

Crimeans have already attempted to contact the occupation authorities in order to maintain the mosaic; specifically, they tried to contact Sergei Aksyonov, the self-proclaimed "prime minister" of the Russian occupation authorities in Crimea.

Activists underlined the significance of the colossal relief-mosaic panel, as well as the importance of preserving it for history and posterity, the centre says.

They even located mosaic artists prepared to disassemble the panel and agree on a storage location before installing it elsewhere. The appeals did not, however, have any bearing on the panel's fate.

Yurii Bielkin worked at Yevpatoriia in the 1970s. In February 2024, activists began to raise concerns about damage to the mosaic.

"According to photos and videos posted on social media, the invaders destroy the monumental mosaic panel of Yurii Bielkin and Heorhii Bondar's works while demolishing the buildings of the Rodnichok boarding house on Polupanov Street in occupied Yevpatoriia.

Local residents report that the fake Russian clone of the guesthouse, registered under the name of Dmitry Zhulanov from Novosibirsk with Igor Pitukhin from Murmansk Oblast as its head, demolishes the guesthouse buildings to build apartment buildings for criminal Russian colonisers in its place," wrote the Association of Reintegration of Crimea.

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