On October 16, Taras Shevchenko, Deputy Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, participated in an online event held in the Senate of Belgium, focusing on the protection of cultural heritage.
The conference was opened by the President of the Senate of Belgium, Stephanie D’Hose, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs and Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions of Belgium, Hadja Lahbib.
The event was organized by the Permanent Representation of Belgium to NATO and aimed at representatives from NATO member countries.
In his speech, Taras Shevchenko emphasized that since the beginning of the full-scale russian invasion, russia has been attempting to deny the existence of Ukrainian identity and deliberately destroying cultural sites and objects of cultural infrastructure, including the Drama Theater in Mariupol, the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa, the center of Chernihiv, and other objects.
“After 600 days since the beginning of russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, our country has demonstrated incredible resilience in response to russian aggression. However, during this time, our cultural heritage has suffered significant destruction. We understand that the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage under international humanitarian law constitutes a war crime. On this crucial issue, we feel the support of our international partners. We are confident that we will not only restore our cultural heritage but also find those responsible for these crimes,” the Deputy Minister stated.
In addition, the Deputy Minister provided information about the extent of losses and damages inflicted on Ukrainian cultural heritage and infrastructure.
