Ukrainian Monuments at War
The sculptural monuments destroyed and damaged, and what actions are being taken
Lukashivka. Churchbalbek bureau
Monuments at war
The front lines of modern wars run not only on the ground. Thousand-year-old stone babas, museums and archives, cultural centers, and theaters have become targets for missiles, bombs, and artillery shelling.
Golitsyn's Palace. Trostyanetsbalbek bureau
Why is this crucial?
Russia's genocidal war targets not only the Ukrainian state and civilians, but its very existence – the nation's memory, history, and values, as seen in culture.
Evaluation of damages
According to the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, more than 464 war crimes against cultural heritage have occurred since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine (as of August 11, 2022).
Monument to Princess Olga, Apostle Andrew, Cyril and Methodius by Anton Orehovbalbek bureau
Taking action
Among them are sculptural monuments damaged or destroyed by shelling and bombing. To prevent even greater losses, initiative groups from various Ukrainian cities began to secure and strengthen local monuments and sculptures.
Temporary solution
However, in the absence of a single system, structures for each monument had to be modeled from scratch, and the amount of materials needed was determined by eye.
Monument to Bohdan Khmelnytsky by Anton Orehovbalbek bureau
There is nothing more permanent than temporary
It is unknown how long Ukrainians will have to protect the monuments from Russian barbarism.
Keeping the looks
With this in mind, when working on the RE: Ukraine Monuments system, balbek bureau considered both the construction characteristics and the aesthetics of the protective structure.
Hrushevsky monument (2022-05-28) by Maryan Bereshbalbek bureau
Joint effort
Volunteers, along with the Alliance of Restorers of Historic Buildings of Ukraine and the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the Kyiv City State Administration, approached balbek bureau with a proposal to develop a unified system.
