Russians destroy museum of Ukrainian writer Lesia Ukrainka in Yalta

The Lesia Ukrainka Museum in Yalta, temporarily occupied Crimea, ceased to exist. [Lesia Ukrainka was a prominent Ukrainian writer, poet and activist - ed.] Source: As Voice of Crimea reports, its correspondents found this out during an inspection of the cultural institutions of the occupied peninsula. Details: On the building where the museum was located, there is a security plaque from Soviet times, reminding of the stay of the Ukrainian writer here at the end of the 19th century.

However, the Russian leadership removed all other references to Lesia Ukrainka.

The sign in front of the entrance to the building, which indicated that the Museum of Lesia Ukrainka and the exhibition Lomykamin related to her stay in Yalta was located on the second floor, has disappeared. Now, a new sign has been installed at this place: it says that under the auspices of the Yalta Historical and Literary Museum, there is an exposition "Yalta. XIXth century (history, music and literature)" and an exhibition dedicated to the architect Nikolai Krasnov.

The pre-occupation sign near the building mentions Lesia Ukrainka.Photo: Voice of Crimea

Currently, four expositions are open to visitors: the history of the building and Yalta, the musical life of Yalta at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, the literary life of Yalta, and architect Krasnov, whom a separate hall is dedicated to.

Only small photos interspersed with photos of Russian writers and poets Pushkin, Tolstoy and Tsvetaeva, and the desk at which the Ukrainian writer worked remained from the exhibition dedicated to Lesia Ukrainka.

The Lesia Ukrainka monument in front of the museum building. Photo: krim.biz.ua

Olha Kuryshko, the deputy permanent representative of the president in the Republic of Crimea, told Suspilne Crimea that Russians reconstructed the Museum of Lesia Ukrainka and changed the format of the exhibition. Quote: "In 2015, the museum was renamed the Yalta Historical Museum. There was no longer any mention of the fact that it is a museum of Lesia Ukrainka.

Then, it was closed, as if for reconstruction, for a very long time. And now it was recently opened, already under a different name, reconstructed, without expositions that were there before," said Kuryshko.

Exposition at the museum before the Russian occupation.Photo: V. S.

Biletskyi

She said that the current location of the exhibits related to the Ukrainian poetess is unknown. Quote: "Regarding the exposition, there is no information about where it is now. It may have been archived somewhere, or at least, we would like to hope so.

So far, there is unconfirmed information about partial destruction. But the occupying state seems to tend to do that. That is, they either take the exposition elsewhere or destroy it," said Kuryshko.

Bust of Lesia Ukrainka in the Yaltan museum.Photo: V.

S. Biletskyi

How the Russians destroy the museums of Crimea The repurposing of the Lesia Ukrainka Museum in Yalta is not the only example of the destruction of cultural institutions by representatives of the Russian authorities.

In June, it became known that the Russians completely destroyed Tauric Chersonese, an authentic monument of world significance in Crimea. A new open-air theatre was built on the site of the excavations. Some archaeological finds were taken to Russian museums.

A month later, in July, the "consecration" of a new building - a theatre built on the site of an authentic landmark - was held.

Last year, the Russians announced plans to open a men's monastery on the territory of Tauric Chersonese and create a complex of artificial water bodies there.

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