On the night of May 24, Russian missiles committed another act of cultural genocide, striking at the very foundation of Ukrainian humanities. The buildings where the unique genetic code of our nation was forged, researched, and protected for decades were destroyed.
The academic center on Grushevskoho Street, 4,, which unites six leading institutions of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, was hit:
- Institute of Ukrainian Language
- Institute of Linguistics named after O.O. Potebni
- Institute of Literature named after T.G. Shevchenko
- Institute of History of Ukraine
- Institute of Oriental Studies named after A.Yu. Krymsky
- Institute of Art History, Folklore and Ethnology named after M.T. Rylsky
Also affected were the nearby Institute of Philosophy named after G.S. Skovoroda and Institute of Ukrainian Archeography and Source Studies named after M.S. Hrushevsky.
What is at risk?
These walls contain treasures that cannot be measured materially. This is material proof of our identity:
- Over 100 thousand priceless rarities in the Manuscript Center of the Institute of Literature: from medieval manuscripts of the 14th–16th centuries to original manuscripts of Taras Shevchenko, Ivan Franko, Lesya Ukrainka, Mykhailo Kotsiubynskyi and Mark Vovchek.
- About 1.5 million sheets of unique archives of the Institute of Art History, Folklore and Ethnology: priceless field recordings of folk music, photographic and ethnographic materials of expeditions of the 1920s–1930s, which miraculously survived under the pressure of Soviet censorship and destruction.
- Many-year-old file cabinets, dictionary databases and unique sources, on which generations of Ukrainian linguists, historians and academic researchers have worked.
Russia once again proves that its main goal is to destroy our memory, language and history. But buildings can be damaged, but the spirit and dedication to science – never.
We stand. We are rebuilding.
Despite the destruction, broken windows, and damaged offices, the institute’s teams, including dozens of young scientists, have been at their workplaces since the first hours after the tragedy. A fierce struggle is currently underway for every book, every document, every manuscript.
The Council of Young Scientists expresses its boundless gratitude to all colleagues, employees of institutions and volunteers who are saving Ukrainian heritage with their own hands.
Our values are what we are fighting for, and we will protect them.
Photos of the destruction and the process of eliminating the consequences (from the official Facebook pages of the NAS of Ukraine institutions) are attached below.
