Historically, the last week of August in Ukraine is a time of commemoration, and this year was no exception. The 29th August, ‘A Day of Remembrance of the Defenders of Ukraine’, is a day when the Ukrainian people’s thoughts are with those Ukraine army soldiers, who in the Donbass in 2014, heroically broke through an encirclement of Russian occupying forces (Source – RBC Ukraine). On the 24th August, the 34th Ukraine Independence Day, Ukrainians celebrated independence from the Soviet Union. President Zelensky addressed the people in Independence Square (Maidan Nezalezhnosti), and included an interesting element to his speech, “independence fights in the ring on world stages, and arenas where Ukrainians perform. It is on the pages of books, and in the words of poems written by Ukrainians” (Source – Kyiv Independent).
It can be no coincidence, that Russia chose to launch missiles into Kyiv on the evening of the 27th-28th August, during this period of remembrance when many Ukrainians would be gathering together in places of worship, in their local communities. According to UNESCO as of the 6th August 2025, 508 cultural sites have been bombed since the 24th February 2022 – 268 of these buildings are of historical or artistic interest. Under the ‘1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property In The Event of Armed Conflict’, cultural property is to be protected from destruction in time of war – Russia is not adhering to this. British Council and EU offices in Kyiv were also targets, a month after the EU pledge during the 10th–11th July conference – the Commission announced the ‘Team Europe for Cultural Heritage in Ukraine’ approach and an additional €2 million under the Creative Europe programme (Source – European Commission).
One such building that was hit during this bombing raid was the ‘Institut Avtomatyky’ which an artist run space in Kyiv. Kateryna Serdiuk, founder of Subjektiv Art (which is an app that enables international sales for artists around the world), and works closely with the artists at the Institut, explains that this space houses 60-70 artists and their work, and as the building may need to be demolished the artists have been salvaging what is left and trying to find new spaces to work. One of the artists Maksym Mazur’s studio now has no windows or doors, and many others in the building have suffered a similar fate. Here is a link to the Instagram page of the institute, which shows the damage caused https://www.instagram.com/nahirna22/
Despite the bombing raids, there is a resilience from Ukraine’s cultural sector to ensure that their presence is felt. A Ukraine Fringe Festival was established in Kyiv to assist in keeping theatre artists performing and was developed by founder of the ProEnglish Theatre company, Alex Borovensky. Over the last few years, they have endeavoured to perform in a safe space, whilst also trying to reach out to fellow Ukrainians to preserve their cultural freedom.
In Kharkiv, a city which is only 30km from the frontline, is the National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. As it became too dangerous to use the main theatre space (which has an impressive 1750 seats), in October 2023 the company converted the basement into a theatre space and now perform to an audience of 400 people. The staging of a classical opera ‘Chopiniana’ was a milestone in their wartime cultural journey. Igor Tuluzov, Director-General of Opera East, the company staging the production said, “We are demonstrating to the world that we really are a self-sufficient state, independent, in all its aspects, including cultural independence,” (Source – Reuters).
According to UNESCO records of the bombing of cultural institutions, two of the Kyiv buildings that have been hit are the National Museum of Taras Shevchenko, and the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. Born in 1814, Taras Shevchenko is the national poet of Ukraine, and his work has been enjoyed by generations of Ukrainians. Shevchenko was a patriot, and his poems and art reflect this. Shevchenko spent time in Russia, where his poems attracted attention, and were censored by the Tsar, which eventually led to him being imprisoned. By striking at these cultural institutions, Russia is targeting the Ukrainian people’s resilience. Bombing buildings that carry the name of one of the nation’s heroes sends a message that Russia aims to destroy the heart of Ukraine by attacking its culture, and what it means to be a Ukrainian.
The Ukrainian spirit is strong, as demonstrated by Taras Shevchenko, Igor Tuluzov, Alex Borovensky, and Kateryna Serdiuk. In the words of Serdiuk, ‘art isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about sharpening our ability to judge, to reflect and to truly see. Because in a world of uncertainty, our ability to form independent opinions – starting with something as simple as “Do I like this?” shapes everything.’
Free will, and independence of mind are under attack in Ukraine, and the Ukrainian’s cultural identity is an important weapon in the battle to stay independent of Russian oppression. In Taras Shevchenko’s words in his poem ‘To My Fellow-Countrymen In Ukraine, and Not In Ukraine, Living, Dead and As Yet Unborn My Friendly Epistle’ –
The glory of Ukraine,
And a clear light, not a twilight,
Will shine forth anew …
Brothers, then, embrace each other,
I entreat and pray you!
Please note that people can buy directly from the artists at Institut Avtomatyky (Subjektiv have waived their fees) through this link: https://subjektiv.art/selections/instytut-avtomatyky?srsltid=AfmBOordhKzNPnB0WT1Gq0FnIZui8QsiF2X2oHurRHU8G6QMu7bqwqA4