On September 20, Oleksandr Tkachenko, Minister of Culture and Information Policy, visited the city of Balaklia in Kharkiv region. This small town was one of the first to be liberated from the russian invaders by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It became a symbol of the liberation of all Ukrainian territories.
“Six months of occupation forced Balaklia and its local residents to look at life in a new way. Locals remember the stay of the russian occupiers in different ways, depending on where these occupiers are from: “LPR”/”DPR” or Buryats. Buryats, they say, are the most impudent. Buryats themselves described to the residents the picture that putin had promised them in Ukraine a house and two Ukrainian slaves each. Now all those who return, all those who continued to defend Ukraine here, are full of hopes and expectations that normal life will return to Balaklia and will be even better,” said Oleksandr Tkachenko.
The city begins to recover after the stay of russians on its territory. Cultural workers have already removed the garbage and dirt left behind by the soldiers of the russian federation. The city should have electricity restored this week. In Balaklia, many cultural objects, museums, and a music school were damaged by the actions of russians. In order to save these cultural institutions, it is necessary immediately to pay attention to the work on their conservation, repair and preparation for the winter period.
“Colleagues will compile a list of needs; we will work on solving this issue together with UNESCO and our allied countries. Also, in the nearest future, in addition to the replenishment of Ukrainian books, the newspaper “Iziumskii Obrii”, Ukrainian broadcasting will appear in Balaklia, and groups from other cities of Ukraine will perform,” the Minister noted.
Oleksandr Tkachenko also said: “I had to see the most interesting thing in the library. In fact, local collaborators, together with the russian occupiers, compiled books in Ukrainian before the export, even Stephen King was written there. The so-called Bandera literature – authors Matios, Stus – was lying separately. Our literature began to be replaced by tabloid russian books in russian. But they didn’t have time – thank God, all the books remained in place.”
Together with the Head of the Izium district military Administration, Stepan Maselskyi, and the Secretary of the Balaklia City Council, Oksana Bondar, during the visit to Kharkiv region, Oleksandr Tkachenko visited and inspected in Balaklia: a local history museum, a cultural center, a central library, a children’s library, and a children’s music school.
