Ukraine museums scramble to save Russian art
As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, museums and art galleries are taking extraordinary measures to secure valuable artworks.
Staff at the main museum in Kharkiv have been racing to get priceless artworks to safety, many of them by Russian artists.
The ornate building remains standing in Kharkiv, unlike many others that have fallen victim to Russian air strikes, although the windows have all been blown in with the surrounding streets being covered in debris.
"There are over 25,000 items in our collection," said Maryna Filatova, head of the foreign art department at the Kharkiv Art Museum, adding that it was one of the biggest and most valuable in the country.
"It is simply irony of fate that we should be saving Russian artists, paintings by Russian artists from their own nation. This is simply barbarism," she told Reuters last week.
While many Ukrainians have fled their war-torn country, many have stayed to defend their home, which has included many of the irreplaceable culture hubs.
In the town of Odessa on the southern coast, a monument to Duc de Richelieu, a governor of the city in the early 19th century, has been protected by sandbags piled around the plinth and statue up to its shoulders.
One of the most prized works at the Kharkiv museum is a version of the imposing work by renowned Russian painter Ilya Repin called Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks, which has been removed from the wall and safely stored away.
"Basically, it should not be moved," said Filatova of the painting. "Any movement should be avoided. We treat it with great care."
While the museum curators are working tirelessly to protect the historical works, they say the extent of the damage won’t be known for some time.
"The real damage we will only be able to assess in peaceful times, when it is calm.
"Workers, women that are still in town, we will work and do our best to save it all. We are taking the paintings down and will hide them," Filatova said, without specifying where. "We are doing our best to preserve them."
Image credits: Getty Images