March 13, 2022

Culture Under Fire


Culture Under Fire
The Derzhprom in Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine, 2020 Image Courtesy of 
Konstantin Brizhnichenko

On February 24th Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. The war has had a huge impact on Ukrainians,  and it has also been affecting cultural sites. Ukraine is home to seven World Heritage sites. Last Tuesday, UNESCO announced that it will be marking Ukraine's cultural sites with its "Blue Shield" emblem and would meet on March 15 for a special session to discuss the impact of war on these sites.

As the war continues to rage and the missiles continue to fall on civilians and their towns, not only are people dying, but their cultural markers are being damaged and some even reduced to ashes. On March 4, Ukraine's Minister of Culture and Information Policy, Oleksandr Tkachenko, asked that the skies over Ukraine be closed "because Russian aggressors are destroying Ukrainian cultural sites."

1. The Ivankiv Museum 

Little Shepherds, by Primachenko
Little Shepherds, 1959, by Primachenko. | National Museum of Ukrainian Folk Decorative Art

The Ivankiv Museum in Kyiv is known for its folk art, specifically, the work of Maria Primachenko. When the museum was destroyed, so were 25 of Primachenko's works, which were highly praised by the likes of Picasso and many Ukrainians. The museum burned down on February 25.

2. Freedom Square

An aerial view of Freedom Square in 2003 showing half of the square.
Freedom Square, Kharkiv, Ukraine in 2003 | Image courtesy of Wikimedia user Shmuliko

Located in the center of Kharkiv, Ukraine, Freedom Square is the largest square in Europe. The square is home to famous Constructivist architecture, such as one of the first Soviet skyscrapers the 14-story Derzhprom Building, the Opera house, and the concert hall. On March 1, Russian missiles destroyed the square and damaged the opera house.

3. Babyn Yar Holocaust Memorial Center

A sculpture of a Menorah
A Menorah, part of the Babyn Yar Memorial, 2008 | Image Courtesy 
smcgee

Babyn Yar Memorial Center is located in the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv, and during the battle of Kyiv on March 1, there was damage done to the center's building, but the menorah pictured above survived intact. The memorial commemorates the largest massacre of Jews during the Second World War, during which more than 33,000 Jewish people died. After hearing that the site had been hit, President Zelensky spoke out on social media "To the world: what is the point of saying 'never again' for 80 years, if the world stays silent when a bomb drops on the same site of Babyn Yar? At least five killed. History repeating…"

4. Krasna Square

The desna hotel in Krasna square
The Desna Hotel in Krasna Square, Chernihiv | Image Courtesy Star61

The Krasna Square in Chernihiv experienced an immense amount of shelling on March 3, most of it targetting the residential areas and the center of Chernihiv. The exact amount of damage done to the Square, it is home to historical buildings, such as the Desna Hotel (shown above) and the city's Opera and Drama Theatre, is as yet uncatalogued. The historical square is listed on Ukraine’s World Heritage Tentative List.

5. Assumption Cathedral

The cathedral on a sunny day
The Assumption (or Dormition) Cathedral | Image Courtesy of  Sergiy Bobok

Built in the 1700s during the Russian Empire, the Assumption (or Dormition in the Orthodox Church) is located in Kharkiv and stands near the Lopan River. The bell tower in the church was built to commemorate Tsar Alexander I's victory and expulsion of Napoleon from Russia. On March 2, after Russian shelling, the church experienced damage to its stained glass windows and icons. According to the Cathedral's social media, no one that was inside the church at the time was injured.

You Might Also Like

No to War (Нет войне)
  • February 27, 2022

No to War (Нет войне)

The Kremlin's unprovoked, illegal war on Ukraine will backfire. And untold millions will suffer. Silence would be complicity in this horrendous crime.
A Prayer for Ukraine
  • March 08, 2022

A Prayer for Ukraine

In 2014, Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov wrote this beautiful short orchestral work, "Prayer for Ukraine." A German orchestra is sharing it as a symphonic symbol of solidarity and hope.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Driving Down Russia's Spine

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 
93 Untranslatable Russian Words

93 Untranslatable Russian Words

Every language has concepts, ideas, words and idioms that are nearly impossible to translate into another language. This book looks at nearly 100 such Russian words and offers paths to their understanding and translation by way of examples from literature and everyday life. Difficult to translate words and concepts are introduced with dictionary definitions, then elucidated with citations from literature, speech and prose, helping the student of Russian comprehend the word/concept in context.
The Moscow Eccentric

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.
The Little Golden Calf

The Little Golden Calf

Our edition of The Little Golden Calf, one of the greatest Russian satires ever, is the first new translation of this classic novel in nearly fifty years. It is also the first unabridged, uncensored English translation ever, and is 100% true to the original 1931 serial publication in the Russian journal 30 Dnei. Anne O. Fisher’s translation is copiously annotated, and includes an introduction by Alexandra Ilf, the daughter of one of the book’s two co-authors.
White Magic

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Steppe / Степь

Steppe / Степь

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Fearful Majesty

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.
Survival Russian

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
PO Box 567
Montpelier VT 05601-0567

802-223-4955