Annihilate the Ukrainian Nation, Erase its Heritage

Bombing Ukraine’s cities, factories and countryside, and killing innocent men, women children going about their daily activities is not enough for Russia in its latest war against Ukraine.

Moscow is committed to destroying every shred of memorabilia and physical evidence of the existence of a Ukrainian culture, that predates the ersatz Russian culture thus erasing all indications of the Ukrainians’ millennial presence.

According to a handful of sources, including UNESCO, Russia has been systematically obliterating or stealing everything that testifies to the heritage of the Ukrainian nation especially since the start of this war. As of April 16, 2025, the UN agency has verified damage to 485 sites since February 24, 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine – 149 religious sites, 257 buildings of historical and/or artistic interest, 34 museums, 33 monuments, 18 libraries, one archive and two archaeological sites.

Russian dictator Putin, who is known for his frequent false declarations about Ukraine’s history, and other representatives of the Russia have disputed that Ukraine is a sovereign nation. Ukraine’s churches, museums and libraries are a threat to Russia, for they are the material and symbolic fabric that holds together Ukrainian identity and resistance, and prove the nation’s longevity.

The Kyiv Post reported last week that Ukraine’s intelligence directorate said 360,000 items were stolen from occupied Kherson alone – in a bid to erase the country’s national memory.

Since 2014, over five million documents belonging to Ukraine’s National Archival Fund (NAF) have fallen under Russian control following the temporary occupation of parts of Ukraine, including Crimea, Donetsk, Luhansk, and Kherson regions.

Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) and the State Archival Service said a significant portion of these documents was illegally removed and integrated into Russia’s archival infrastructure.

The Kyiv Post reported that in newly released findings published on the War & Sanctions platform, HUR and the State Archival Service accuse Russia of violating international humanitarian law, particularly the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. After Kherson’s liberation, investigators confirmed that nearly 360,000 archival items had been looted by occupying forces.

Ukraine has now published the names of individuals and organizations allegedly involved in the illegal transfer and assimilation of stolen archives. Among those named are:

• Andrey Artizov, head of Russia’s Federal Archival Agency

• Oleg Lobov, head of the so-called “State Archival Service of the Republic of Crimea”

• Irina Krasnonos, director of the so-called “Sevastopol City Archive”

• Vitaly Semyonov, founder of the NGO “Archival Watch”

They are employees of the so-called “State Archive of the Republic of Crimea” who participated in the looting of the Kherson regional archives in 2022.

Kyiv officials say these actions are part of a broader effort by the Kremlin to erase Ukraine’s identity, distort historical truth, and obscure evidence of Russian war crimes.

The Embassy of The Netherlands has corroborated this information. “Since Russia’s invasion, the country has been fighting harder than ever to preserve its distinctive culture and cultural heritage. The Netherlands, including the embassy in Kyiv, supports Ukraine in this fight. ‘Russia denies Ukraine’s right to statehood. Everything that embodies Ukrainian identity, from art to language, is being destroyed.’”

The Embassy further noted on its website that “the war has highlighted the importance of culture for Ukrainians, says Yuliia Malynovska, culture policy officer at the Ukrainian embassy in the Netherlands. ‘In Ukraine we seize every opportunity to attend cultural events and enjoy art, literature, film and dance. This helps us feel connected to our identity and offers an escape from the horrors of the war.’”

The Embassy noted that the war with Russia is not just being fought on the front lines. Wild Tjitske Wildervanck, culture policy officer at the Dutch embassy in Kyiv, and Malynovska said that it’s also a culture war. Russia is deliberately attacking cultural targets in an attempt to erase Ukrainian culture and identity. Wildervanck: “A senior Russian official in occupied Zaporizhzhia recently said that it’s time to burn everything Ukrainian down to the root. And anything that isn’t destroyed they want to Russify. They do that by looting museums, but also by banning the Ukrainian language in occupied areas of the country.”

The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture said since the beginning of Russia’s large-scale invasion in February 2022 nearly 1,100 cultural buildings such as churches, theaters, libraries, cultural centers, museums and other symbols of Ukrainian culture have been damaged or destroyed. UNESCO has been able to verify this damage in 432 cases. Consequently, every Russian missile or drone that explodes on Ukrainian land destroys the Ukrainian national genome and national antiquity.

The Embassy further said that among the well-known examples of the attacks are the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, the library in Chernihiv and the Roman Shukhevych Museum in Lviv. In early August it was announced that the Lesia Ukrainka Museum in occupied Crimea, dedicated to the eponymous Ukrainian author and poet, had been completely destroyed. Malynovska also mentioned the frescoed home of artist Polina Rayko in Oleshky, which was a unique piece of Ukrainian heritage. The house was destroyed last year after the Russians blew up the Kakhovka dam.

Russia’s attempts to conquer Ukraine and wipe out Ukrainian culture are not new. Malynovska said: “Russia has been trying to do this for centuries.’ So it’s no accident that Ukraine marks the day it gained its independence, 24 August 1991, with a wide range of cultural events. Ukraine also celebrates those who have given their lives, whether in the past or more recently, for their country’s freedom.”

A report on PBS concurred: “War doesn’t just destroy lives. It also tears at the fabric of culture.

And in the case of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine the remarkable destruction of Ukrainian history and heritage since 2022 hasn’t been a matter of collateral damage. Rather, the Russian military has deliberately targeted museums, churches and libraries that are important to the Ukrainian people.

It’s impossible to document the full extent of the destruction, particularly in the active military zones in eastern and southern Ukraine. However, as archaeologists and filmmakers, we wanted to do what we could. This meant traveling to liberated villages, museums and churches in northern and eastern Ukraine adjacent to regions with ongoing fighting.”

PBS further noted: “Even after the fighting ends, large areas of Ukraine will remain inaccessible for years, given the widespread use of mines and environmental contaminants.

“Surviving collections and museum exhibits inside and outside of Ukraine have assumed greater importance: They may represent the sole evidence of ancient cultures originating from these damaged territories.

“We can confidently say that Europe has not experienced destruction of this magnitude, let alone this quickly, since World War II.

“The bombings of churches, libraries and residences have destroyed major areas of Ukraine. As with the Nazis’ pilfering of paintings, bronze sculptures and art in the last few years of World War II, in the first months after the invasion the Russian army looted museums, stole art and destroyed churches with missiles and tank shells.

“Make no mistake: At its core, the Russian full-scale invasion is a military attempt to erase Ukraine’s history, culture and heritage.”

Therefore, all non-Russians, such as President Trump and his White House officials, who have taken Russia’s side in this war also share this historic guilt.