**Russia’s Looting of History: A Theft of Who We Are**
Imagine walking into a museum and finding empty halls where priceless artifacts once displayed. This is what happened to me in May 2024 when I visited the looted museums of Kherson, Ukraine.
Over 33,000 works of art and historical artifacts were stolen from local museums in fall 2022. Russian forces took them just before the city was liberated by Ukrainian military. The large exhibition halls were empty, with shattered display cases that once held treasures from ancient civilizations like the Scythians, Goths, Romans, and Greeks.
I had seen many horrors during two years of war in Ukraine. But seeing the looted museum halls left me numb. It made me understand what a guard meant when he said Russian forces had stolen the Ukrainian soul.
**A Theft of Identity**
Systematic attacks on Ukrainian culture have been part of Russian state policy since czarist times. Journalists found over 110,000 items in two major Russian museums that originated from modern Ukraine. These artifacts were taken during both the Russian Empire and Soviet times.
Russia hasn’t just looted cultural artifacts; it has also eliminated Ukrainian intelligentsia. In the 1920s and 1930s, the Soviet regime destroyed an entire generation of Ukrainian artists.
**Personal Experience**
As a Ukrainian who grew up in a Russified region, I have experienced this firsthand. My grandparents were born in Ukrainian-speaking families, but my first words were in Russian. I learned about Soviet propaganda characters instead of Ukrainian traditions.
But as I learned more about Ukrainian culture and history, I began to rediscover my roots. This year, I replaced the traditional Christmas tree with a “didukh,” a Ukrainian Christmas decoration made of wheat.
**A Journey to Rediscover**
Millions of Ukrainians are on this journey to rediscover their culture and history. But the more we return to our roots, the harder Russia hits. It loots museums, destroys architectural monuments, and Russifies Ukrainian children in Russian-occupied territories. Its goal is clear: to erase everything Ukrainian and turn the Ukrainian state into a colony once again.
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