Churches, cathedrals, museums and libraries throughout the nation have been bombed, burned and shelled. Museum staff have been arrested and kidnapped by Russian troopers. And 1000’s of work, antiques and artifacts have been stolen from museums, looted by invading Russian forces.
Standing in a ruined church, the constructing having been shelled by Russian forces, Ihor Poshyvailo, co-founder of The Heritage Emergency Response Initiative, a company documenting these assaults, instructed 60 Minutes correspondent Bill Whitaker that Russia’s intentions are clear.
“‘We do not want your traditions, beliefs, your tradition. You won’t exist,'” Poshyvailo mentioned.
The Khanenko Museum within the capital of Kyiv is making an attempt to forestall their art work from struggling the identical destiny that many different collections in Ukraine have suffered. They have packed and moved each portray, artifact, and sculpture they will to a secret location in hopes of conserving the objects protected.
Whitaker took a tour of the empty museum with its appearing director, Yulia Vaganova. Walking from room to room, they discovered empty show instances with captions describing objects that have been now not on show. Walls the place work as soon as hung now solely contained outlines, ghostly silhouettes etched in mud.
60 Minutes
“It’s very unhappy,” Vaganova instructed Whitaker. “[A] era of individuals grows [up] with out the museum, with out this artwork, with out this tradition, as a result of they can’t see it.”
The fixed risk of missile and drone assaults is driving the museum’s efforts to cover its assortment. In 2022, a Russian missile struck near it, shattering museum home windows. In August 2023, whereas the 60 Minutes crew was reporting in Kyiv, 28 cruise missiles and 16 drones have been launched on the metropolis. One drone brought on a fiery explosion close to the resort the place they have been staying.
Yulia Vaganova instructed 60 Minutes that even in a safer location, the art work will not be completely protected against these assaults.
“The missile may hit any a part of Ukraine, sadly. It signifies that wherever you cover the artwork…it is not completely protected,” she defined.
Despite its hole state, the Khanenko Museum stays open to guests. Vaganova mentioned that guests are welcome to tour the museum and remind themselves of what they used to have.
Whitaker requested Vaganova what she felt justice would seem like. She answered that Russia ought to return all of the stolen art work, pay for the destruction they’ve brought on, and admit what they’ve achieved for the world to listen to.
“This is strictly what we name acknowledgment,” she mentioned. “This is barely the way in which.”
The video above was initially printed on November 12, 2023. It was produced and edited by Will Croxton.
