Voice of Ukraine

From Ira Kapitonova in Kyiv (Day 419):

I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I set your rules before me.
I cling to your testimonies, O Lord;
let me not be put to shame!
Psalm 119:30-31

This war ruins and steals. We’ve gotten used to material losses; sometimes, we are even grateful when the losses are limited to material things. However, how do you compensate for the lost time, lost life, lost legacy? Those traumas will be a lot harder to heal.

According to the official records, about 7,000 Ukrainian soldiers are considered missing. The officials say that usually about 60-65% are later found among the POWs. Will at least the bodies of those who remain missing be found? How do their families cope with living in the unknown?

The exquisite 5th-century golden tiara, inlaid with precious stones, an artifact from the rule of Attila the Hun. 198 priceless pieces of 2,400-year-old gold from the era of the Scythians. Ancient religious icons, a unique handwritten Torah scroll, and a 200-year-old Bible. Paintings by world-famous Ukrainian-born artists Arkhyp Kuindzhi and Ivan Aivazovskyi. Numerous churches, buildings of historical importance, monuments, museums, libraries, and UNESCO heritage sites. All of these are gone due to looting and destruction of cultural places.

There are heroic stories of how museum workers tried to preserve and hide the artifacts from the invaders. For example, on February 25, 2022 (the second day of the full-scale war), Russian bombs hit a museum in Ivankiv (Kyiv region) with a unique collection of paintings by Mariia Prymachenko. When the villagers saw the museum on fire, they ran to the building, despite the bombs exploding, and saved the pictures from the fire.

The museum workers of Izium (Kharkiv region) managed to hide a 300-year-old Gospel, published in 1707 by Hetman Ivan Mazepa, laid with silver and gilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style. In the entire history of book printing, it was published only twice. During the occupation of Izium, the museum workers replaced the book in the exhibit with a similar item, which helped them rescue this unique artifact. Now, it is being restored after months of unacceptable conditions.

The way we treat our historical and cultural legacy speaks about who we are. To some, those are just money-making opportunities; to others, it is their identity.