Ukrainian Museums Rush to Preserve Cultural Artifacts from Russian Bombings

As frontline cities in Ukraine continue to be attacked, museums housing historical and cultural artifacts are working to transfer valuable collections to safer areas of the country. Olha Sahaidak, head of the Ukrainian Cultural Operators Coalition, states, "Physical damage from airstrikes is a threat. For instance, when the Bristol Hotel in Odesa was targeted, the Literature Museum and Philharmonic were also damaged." However, experts say only 10 percent of items at risk of destruction have been protected so far. According to Sahaidak, more than three million pieces remain in museums in areas controlled by Ukraine near the front lines. In the Zaporizhzhia region, which is partially controlled by Russia, museum officials are trying to save items that represent Ukrainian identity. Victoria Voodopyan, director of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Museum, mentions they have decided to save traditional embroidered clothing known as "vyshyvanka" along with embroidered napkins. Voodopyan states, "We saw what happened after 2014 in the [partially occupied] areas of Donetsk and Luhansk and how the identity of the Ukrainian people was being destroyed." Museum officials also want to protect cultural treasures from looting in case they lose more territory in Ukraine. When Russian forces temporarily occupied the city of Kherson in 2022, witnesses reported the theft of paintings, gold jewelry, and religious symbols of Ukraine.