Beyond chance: how can we prove the systematic intent behind the destruction of Ukrainian culture?

Olga Sagaidak
Chair of the Coalition of Culture Actors, culture manager, co-founder of the Dofa.fund

“Those who planned missile strikes, those who decided to attack specific sites, and the Russian state itself — which has spent years claiming that Ukrainians are not a political nation and that Ukraine is not a state — are all part of the genocidal crime. This is why we cannot treat the destruction of museums, archives or monuments as accidental damage or collateral loss.”

“When we lose a museum, a library or an archive, it often causes less public outcry than the destruction of a road or a hospital. Yet this is precisely why it is so important to document crimes against cultural heritage professionally, to work with them systematically, and to prove that these are not isolated incidents, but part of a deliberate policy.”

Sagaidak also emphasised the need for systematic documentation of crimes against cultural heritage, as high-quality records of losses are essential for future accountability.

“Some museums had fully digitised and documented collections. This means stolen objects can be traced, and ownership can be proven. But in other cases, inventory books were never digitised — and those artefacts may be lost forever. Today, documentation is not bureaucracy. It is a tool for saving cultural heritage.”

Daryna Pidhorna
Legal expert and analyst at the Rafael Lemkin Society

“The distinctive feature of the crime of genocide is special intent. It must be clearly visible in the actions, statements, decisions and policies of those committing it. In essence, it is the intent to destroy a particular group precisely because it exists as a distinct group.”

At the same time, Pidhirna warned against expecting rapid decisions from international institutions.

“Genocide is not a single moment, nor is it a quick legal recognition. The experience of other countries shows that the path to such recognition can take decades. We must be prepared for long-term work, sustained effort and the constant need to prove what may seem obvious.”

Olha Chervakova
Government Relations Director at Suspilne National Broadcaster

“This year, Russia has allocated almost two billion dollars to propaganda abroad. That is one and a half times more than last year. This is why the social mission of Ukrainian journalism is not only to inform, but also to counter propaganda: to explain to the world the nature of this war and Russia’s responsibility for the crimes it is committing.”

In this context, Chervakova spoke about how Suspilne shares its photo and video materials on the war with foreign broadcasters, particularly through its cooperation with the European Broadcasting Union. Last year, Suspilne became the leading contributor of shared materials within the EBU: its materials were shown abroad almost 18,000 times, including by broadcasters that do not have the capacity to maintain correspondent offices in Ukraine and therefore cannot cover events here as quickly.

Archiving and preserving testimonies that may later become evidence in criminal proceedings is equally important.

“We have the Suspilne Mediateka project, which preserves testimonies about the theft of cultural property, the looting of museums and crimes against humanity. We are doing everything we can to make this information available to international partners, law enforcement bodies and the public, because accountability is impossible without memory and documentation.”

Viacheslav Mavrychev
Head of Suspilne Kharkiv National Broadcaster

“For us, it is essential not only to show the destruction after an attack. We always tell the story of the site and explain its significance for the city and the country. This is how the world sees that what is being destroyed is not simply buildings, but cultural memory and heritage.”

According to Mavrychev, journalists and documentarians are increasingly becoming direct targets of the Russian system.

“Russia understands the role of journalists very well. People who record events, collect testimonies and report reality honestly and impartially become priority targets. The persecution of journalists and documentarians is just as systematic as the attempts to conceal the crimes themselves.”