European Cultural Heritage Days: Russia's cultural war against Ukraine

European Cultural Heritage Days allow millions of people across the continent to celebrate their cultural heritage every September. This year Ukrainians will not able to enjoy the celebrations, as Russia's aggression has killed or displaced innocent people and declared war on their culture. Since this cultural cleansing began in Crimea in 2014, the Russian army has damaged or destroyed hundreds of cultural, artistic, scientific, educational and religious institutions, sites and works. Artists, and cultural and heritage professionals are unable to pursue their occupations. The Russian aggressors have looted artefacts from public and private collections, added them to Russian collections and declared them part of Russian history and culture. While international conventions set a legal framework on how to protect cultural sites and works from damage, destruction or looting, and define the responsibilities of belligerents or individuals involved in trafficking, the situation in Ukraine has alarmed international organisations, non-governmental organisations, governments and EU institutions. Assistance and urgently needed funding has been made available to help Ukrainian museums and cultural institutions protect and preserve their cultural assets, to catalogue them and report damage in view of reconstructing destroyed or damaged sites. However, as Russia's war is also being waged on cultural grounds, and the cultural front is very important for Ukrainians, it is also necessary to promote contemporary Ukrainian culture, arts and artists to ensure the country's cultural traditions and heritage continue to thrive and provide both moral support for the population and a basis for the post-war recovery process.